[Allergic contact dermatitis from a hydrocolloid dressing due to colophony sensitization]

A 62-year-old female patient with a venous leg ulcer developed massive eczema during wound bed preparation with the hydrocolloid dressing Varihesive. The patch testing confirmed a pronounced sensitization to the hydrocolloid dressing apart from the sensitization to colophony. After review of the current literature we found several case reports from the last 10 years about sensitization to hydrocolloids which were identical but distributed under different brand names in different countries. These dressings contain the pentaerythritol ester of hydrogenated rosin as the tackifying agent which is the substance retaining the sensitizing potential of colophony. Especially patients with chronic wounds frequently tend to contact sensitizations, and colophony currently represents the 4th most frequent allergen in Germany. Therefore, highly potent allergens such as colophony should be strictly avoided as a content material of modern wound dressings.