A case study of a 32 year old woman who worked as a holistic beauty therapist for 12 years was presented. At presentation she had a 9 month history of patchy eczema on her hands and body. Her condition improved when she was off work. Treatment had included topical corticosteroids and emollients. At work she performed aromatherapy massages and facials with essential oils. Her hobby was gardening and she always wore gloves during this activity. Positive patch test results were noted to nickel-sulfate (12503536), paratertiary-butylphenol-formaldehyde-resin, fragrance mix, lemon-grass-oil (8007021), lavender-absolute (8000280), cananga-oil (83863303), Bulgarian rose-oil (8007010), ylang-ylang (8006813), patchouli (8014093), clary-sage (8016635), her own pedicure foot lotion, and her own facial lotion. Her facial lotion contained hazel-nut-oil, beeswax, avocado-oil, carnuba, basil-oil, tonka-bean absolute, bitter-orange-oil, and chamomile oil. The pedicure foot lotion contained the essential oils of peppermint, black pepper, juniper, eucalyptus and rosemary. No common allergen was found in all of the compounds that gave a positive result. The authors note that patch testing with a perfume series and with the patient's own products was absolutely essential, where aromatherapy is suspected as a source of allergic contact dermatitis.
