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Patch Testing to Propylene Glycol: The Mayo Clinic Experience.
Soogan C Lalla, Henry Nguyen, Hafsa Chaudhry1
1Brown University Internal Medicine Program, Providence, RI.
Propylene glycol (PG) in skincare can cause allergic and irritant reactions. Higher concentrations of PG lead to increased positive patch tests and irritant reactions in patients.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Contact Dermatitis Research
- Cosmetic Science
Background:
- Propylene glycol (PG) is a common ingredient in personal care products, cosmetics, and topical medications.
- PG acts as a solvent, vehicle, and humectant.
- It is a known cause of allergic and irritant contact dermatitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of positive patch tests to propylene glycol (PG).
- To analyze PG patch test reactions at Mayo Clinic over a 20-year period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of patient records.
- Analysis of patch test results for patients tested to PG (5%, 10%, or 20%) between January 1997 and December 2016.
Main Results:
- 11,738 patients were patch tested to PG.
- 0.85% of patients had positive allergic reactions, and 0.35% had irritant reactions.
- Higher PG concentrations (20%) showed increased rates of positive allergic reactions (1.86%) and irritant reactions (0.5%).
Conclusions:
- Propylene glycol is frequently associated with allergic and irritant contact dermatitis.
- Increased concentration of PG in patch testing correlates with a higher incidence of adverse skin reactions.
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