Investigation of the Clinical Symptoms and Patch Test Results of 73 Patients with Hair Dye Dermatitis

Abstract

　We studied 73 patients (60 consumers and 13 hairdressers) with hair dye dermatitis using patch test results and clinical findings to assess their conditions. Despite their use of hair dye, symptoms were not identified on the scalps of 21.7% of the consumers. However, eczema was found on trunks and/or lower extremities of 35.6% of all patients. When making a diagnosis of eczema, it is important to consider the possibility that hair dye could be responsible for rashes on the face, neck, trunk, and/or lower extremities. A positive patch test identified p-phenylenediamine (PPD) as the highest (94.5%) among other hair dye-related allergens, while only four patients had negative test results for PPD. Out of 69 patients who tested positive for PPD, 37 patients received open testing using their hair dye containing PPD. Out of these 37 patients, only 23 patients (62.2%) exhibited positive reactions to hair dye, indicated that open testing is not completely effective for detecting the cause of dermatitis. In the open testing, we found that there was a higher rate of positive results with colorant (primary intermediates and couplers) than with mixtures of colorant and developer (oxidizing agents) .