[Allergy survey in genital contact dermatitis]

Contact eczema is one of the most frequent dermatological affections, regardless of age and sex. In typical cases, the diagnosis is usually easy, but it may be less so where there are atypical factors, in particular locations and with complications or unusual etiological data. In fact, the first condition in making a diagnosis is to suspect that there is the possibility of contact allergy. As an example, it should be remembered that allergy to benzalkonium can be diagnosed after a mean time of 87 months of evolution. The present availability of standardised allergens for testing for contact allergens has greatly changed the diagnostic possibilities. The allergens that are most often the cause in the genital region are perfumes, chlorhexidine, hexamidine, benzylalkonium chloride and latex. Only recognition of the allergen and its removal are used and sufficient to obtain recovery.