Contact dermatitis, an itchy situation

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m going crazy itching! I live in the country and have been working in my flower beds trying to tame the overgrowth before fall sets in and I lose another growing season. I must tell you I am very allergic to poison ivy, of which there is an appreciable amount on my property, but also to woodbine that climbs through everything. It seems my reaction to the woodbine is, if it is at all possible, twice as bad as the poison ivy I’ve fought in the past.

I wear gloves and wash as soon as I get into my house but I’m covered from my wrists to my upper arms, down my legs and even on my torso. I wake up in the middle of the night scratching and I look like I have a rare and contagious disease. Help!
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Spongiotic dermatitis a type of allergic reaction

DEAR DR. GOTT: Thank you for all your interesting questions and answers. I have questions about a condition I have never heard of — “spongiotic dermatitis eosinophils consistent with allergic contact dermatitis.” What is it? And what can be done for it?

DEAR READER: Spongiotic dermatitis (SD) is primarily an allergic reaction that causes swelling rather than a rash. It can sometimes be associated with the formation of microvesicles, which are small fluid-filled sacs. Eosinophils are a component of the blood, often found in elevated numbers when an allergic reaction is present, and can generally be used to determine how severe the reaction is. [Read more...]