Can You Be Allergic to Lotion Only on Certain Parts of Your Body?

Updated on July 30, 2011
A.W. asks from Saint Charles, IL
4 answers

Crazy, I know. But I use lotion on my feet all the time. Once in a while, as I lotion my feet I rub some lotion on the rest of my skin- when I notice it's dry. I always do it as an afterthought and every time I forget that my arms get itchy after I put it on my skin. Well, until after I've applied lotion and my arms are itchy like crazy. Like tonight, I'm so exhausted- I took a shower, sat down to lotion my feet and thought "Oh my skin has got to be dry- I've been outside with the garage sale ALL day" and so I unthinkingly do my arms, legs, and chest and then my feet. I'm sitting her about 15 minutes later and my one arm is on fire it's itching so bad! My other arm starts to itch then and it's making me crazy! But nothing else itches- and I put it on my legs and chest and feet. It never bothers me anywhere but my arms. They're all splotchy now and red and itchy. So can I just be allergic to lotion on my arms and not the rest of my body?
And yes, I know. I need to stop using the lotion- my feet are so dang dry and crack and I need lotion on them, and by the time I get to shower it's late and I'm always exhausted and I just plain ol' forget until after I lotion. Sigh.

What can I do next?

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C.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

When I was a teenager, I was getting bad rashes on my arms (inside the crooks of my elbows) and I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized it was the body wash from Bath and Body Works I was using; once I stopped using it they went away. But the rash was only on my arms, even though I used it all over my body. So I went through a similar experience. For lotion, I use Aveeno lotion that is fragrance-free; it is a pretty good moisturizer for my extremely dry skin, and I have no reactions to that one at all.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

This happened to a friend of mine. It was her arms too. It seemed to get worse. It finally was getting to the point that it would take a couple of days for the splotches to go away. She finally went to the dermatologist and it was determined that she wasn't necessarily allergic to the lotions, but the perfumes in them. It took a couple of tries, but she found another brand that didn't make her break out.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.T.

answers from Albuquerque on

Yes, you absolutely can. But it's actually not a true allergy, just a sensitivity . The histamines are closer to your skin on your arms versus your feet. And the lotion is causing a histamine reaction. It's probably causing a reaction all over your body, but the histamines are further away everywhere else so you don't get that itching sensation.

When I have a histamine reaction to things, it's my back first, and then my arms. Rarely will I react on my legs and never my feet.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

Aveeno here too. Love it! Most others make my elbows and knees itchy and bumpy, especially the ones with perfume!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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