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Are you in doubt about a diagnosis, the choice of an allergen or just curious?
Then ask your colleagues
…to guidelines, master classes, reference books, the journal Contact Dermatitis and participate in task forces influencing policies in Europe.
The European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) is the leading source of expertise, in the field of cutaneous allergy, environmental and occupational dermatitis.
Recommendations of the European
Society of Contact Dermatitis
many open access in:
Contact Dermatitis
Patch Testing 5th Edition
The full text of Anton de Groot’s well-known book Patch Testing (5th edition, 2022) is available to all members of the Society. A big thank you from The Executive Committee goes out to Dr de Groot for his generous donation of the book.
The Journal Contact Dermatitis is the official journal of the ESCD. It publishes scientific discoveries in the field of cutaneous allergy, environmental and occupational dermatitis, including chemical aspects, immunology, and drug reactions. Its impact factor is (2024): 4.6
(members have free access for individual non-commercial use)
The ESCD promotes interest in contact dermatitis and environmental & occupational skin diseases
💡 What does the latest European Baseline Series surveillance tell us?
🔬 Patch test data from 18,832 patients across 59 departments in 14 European countries provide an updated picture of contact sensitisation in Europe.
🥇 Nickel remains the most frequent sensitisation, with 18.85% positive reactions.
📈 Meanwhile, HEMA increased from 2.32% in 2019/20 to 3.63% in 2021/22, while propolis increased from 3.48% to 5.47%.
🏁 Take-home: Continued surveillance is essential to keep the European Baseline Series aligned with changing exposure and sensitisation patterns.
📖 Patch Test Results With the European Baseline Series, 2021/2022—Joint European Results of the ESSCA and the EBS Working Groups of the ESCD, and the GEIDAC
#contactdermatitis #patchtesting #contactallergy #europeanbaselineseries #ESCD
Read the full publication: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.70183 ... See MoreSee Less
💡 What has 18 years of dental patch testing taught us?
🔬 A recent retrospective study in Contact Dermatitis analysed 918 patients patch tested with a dental series over an 18-year period. Overall, 60.3% reacted to at least one allergen.
🦷 Metals were the most frequent sensitizers (51.4%), followed by other allergens (21.8%) and (meth)acrylates (6.1%). The figure shows the yearly proportions of positive cases across these allergen groups.
⏰ Another important finding: reactions first becoming positive only on Day 7 were observed for 39 of the 57 allergens tested (68.4%), underlining the value of late patch test readings.
🏁 Take-home message: Long-term data highlight the predominance of metal sensitization in dental patch testing and reinforce the importance of Day 7 readings when evaluating suspected dental contact allergy.
📖 Read the full Open Access article in Contact Dermatitis: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cod.70231
Patch Test Results With Dental Series: An 18-Year Retrospective Study
#contactdermatitis #patchtesting #contactallergy #dentalallergy #dermatology #ESCD ... See MoreSee Less
🚨New publication alert
🖐️ Patch Testing in Chronic Hand Eczema: A Multicentre Study in Portugal
A multicentre Portuguese study of 1,267 patients with chronic hand eczema (CHE) found:
🔹 57% had ≥1 positive patch test.
🔹 41% had at least one currently relevant allergen.
🔹 Common allergens included metals, MI/MCI-MI, fragrances, 2-HEMA, and thiuram mix.
🔹 Occupational CHE showed particularly high sensitization, with greater relevance of metals and benzisothiazolinone.
🔹 MI and Myroxylon pereirae were considered more frequenctly relevant in the atopic dermatitis group.
📌 Key message:
Don’t overlook allergic contact dermatitis in chronic hand eczema. Patch testing can identify relevant allergens and guide targeted avoidance.
📖 Read the full publication: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/16000536/2026/95/3
#Dermatology #ContactDermatitis #HandEczema #PatchTesting #AllergicContactDermatitis ... See MoreSee Less
🚨New publication alert
🧴 Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Adapalene: A Rare Adverse Effect
• A 15-year-old girl developed an acute erythematous vesicular facial eruption within 24 hours of restarting Epiduo® (adapalene 0.1%/benzoyl peroxide 2.5%).
• The eruption involved the forehead and periorbital areas.
• Patch testing showed a positive reaction to Epiduo®.
• Further testing was positive only to Differin® (adapalene 0.1%), while benzoyl peroxide and tested excipients were negative.
• These findings confirmed allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) caused by adapalene.
• ACD to topical retinoids is rare, with fewer than 20 reported cases, most involving tretinoin.
• This represents the second documented case of adapalene-induced ACD.
💡 Take-home point
• Not every reaction to topical retinoids is irritant dermatitis.
• Consider ACD when the reaction is more severe or atypical than expected, and patch testing can help identify the culprit allergen.
📖 Read the full publication: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.70188 ... See MoreSee Less
🧤 Allergic contact dermatitis to 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG): an emerging issue with polyisoprene gloves
1,3-Diphenylguanidine (DPG) is a known contact sensitiser and rubber vulcaniser. This audit reviewed 23 years of patch-testing data and highlights an important occupational exposure to 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG).
🔎 Key findings:
• 2,675 patients were patch tested between 2002–2024
• 50 patients (1.9%) had a positive patch test to DPG
• 31 (1.2% of total) cases were considered clinically relevant
• Gloves and footwear were the most common exposure sources
• 🧤 Nine cases of DPG ACD were healthcare workers exposed to sterile polyisoprene gloves including a cluster of four new cases in 2023–2024
The findings highlight the importance of considering DPG allergy in occupational hand dermatitis, including in healthcare workers using polyisoprene gloves.
📖 Read the full publication: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.70178 ... See MoreSee Less
Save the Date: SAM 2027 in Paris 📢
The EAACI Skin Allergy Meeting (SAM) 2027 will take place in Paris from 11-13 March 2027.
The meeting will focus on the rapidly evolving field of skin allergy, including advances in biological and targeted therapies, new insights into disease mechanisms and the growing interface between allergy, dermatology and clinical immunology.
International experts and emerging voices will discuss key developments in urticaria, angioedema, atopic and contact dermatitis, mast cell diseases and drug hypersensitivity, with a focus on new concepts, current controversies and their relevance to clinical practice.
📍Paris
📅 11-13 March 2027 ... See MoreSee Less
📢 Publication Alert
☀️ Allergen Content of Inactive Ingredients in Best-Selling Sunscreens: A Comparison of Key Product Features
🧴 A recent study of 176 best-selling sunscreens from three largest American online retailers found that allergen content varied considerably between products.
🔎 Key findings:
• The average sunscreen contained 2.51 North American 80 Comprehensive Series (NAC-80) allergens in its inactive ingredients.
• 5.6% of products did not contain NAC-80 allergens.
• The most common allergen categories were Vitamin E, acrylate polymers, fragrance and parabens
• Organic sunscreens contained more allergens on average than inorganic formulations (3.12 vs. 1.45).
📖 Read the full publication to explore the results: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.70141 ... See MoreSee Less
🔬 New publication
📚 Patch Testing in Individuals With Diabetes Using Medical Devices: Part 2- Contact Allergy to Medical Device Allergens and New Patch Test Recommendations
This study of 204 adult type I diabetic participants using continuous glucose monitors or insulin pumps found 16.2% had contact allergy to allergens found in these devices. The prevalence was much higher in those reporting skin reactions than in those without symptoms (28.1% vs 1.1%).
2-hydroxyethyl acrylate was identified as a previously unrecognized relevant allergen and propose an updated patch test series to improve diagnosis.
💡 Key message: As diabetes technologies become increasingly common, recognizing and testing for medical device-related contact allergy is essential. Regular updates of patch test series and continued chemical analyses of devices are needed to improve patient care.
📖 Read the publication: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.70149 ... See MoreSee Less
📢 New Publication
🧴 Contact Allergy and Allergic Contact Dermatitis From Propylene Glycol and Related Glycols: Cosmetic Skin Sensitisers After All?
Propylene glycol and related glycols are widely used in cosmetics, topical medications, and personal care products. 🔬 This publication examines the evidence for their role as potential skin sensitisers and the development of contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis, highlighting key considerations for clinical practice and future research.
Follow the link to read this publication: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.70211 ... See MoreSee Less