[Prevalence of cosmetic sensitivity among beauticians]

Cosmetics are a frequent cause of contact dermatitis, not only in females but also in males. Men use cosmetics in the form of deodorant, hair dye and aftershave lotions. U.S.A men spent more than 6,000,000,000 million dollars in cosmetic products. Responsible substances of contact dermatitis are unidentified in many occasions, what impedes the estimation of morbidity data. It is calculated that 2-4% of dermatological consultations are due to contact dermatitis caused by cosmetics. The Spanish industry manufactures each year articles valued in several thousands of million pesetas, 14% of which are exported. Annual manufacturing is raising between 10 and 11%. The French journal Cosmetology (IMS) pointed as an example the fact that in the third trimester of 1978, the number of sold products was as follows: 87,880 units of cleansing milk; 128,020 creams; 237,200 tonics; 10,228 lip protectors. The Committee of European Unions for Perfumery and Cosmetology (COLIPA) reported in 1978 a yearly sale in Europe of 225,000,000 units of hair dyes, exclusively. Adverse reactions to cosmetics affect not only the skin in the form of irritant or contact dermatitis, but cases of conjunctivitis, asthma, urticaria, rhinitis, angioedema, pneumonitis and anaphylaxis-like reactions due to cosmetic products, mainly hair bleaching agents, perm liquids and hair spray, have been also reported. The present work studied the prevalence of sensitizations to cosmetic products on the professional staff of a beauty salon in our city of Las Palmas (SEM). Twenty people came to our Unit of Allergology to fill a questionnaire and undergo a skin test.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)