Allergic Contact Dermatitis

Patch testing remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis. Patches used in testing consist of a wide spectrum of allergens, with variability in the stability of products over time. Due to limited allergen stability, careful storage and preparation is needed to prevent product degradation over time. Expiration dates are provided by manufacturers to ensure stability and reactivity, while minimizing the risk of product degradation contributing to inaccurate testing results. Preparation of patch series can be time intensive and procurement of allergens comes with an associated economic burden. Expired allergens are not routinely used in patch testing, however many clinics have expired allergens accessible. There is paucity of evidence comparing the reactivity of expired vs non-expired patch series. If expired allergens remain effective, this could result in significant cost-savings and accessibility implications for dermatology practice.

The purpose of this study is to document the incidence of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) to silk fibroin and 2-octyl cyanoacrylate mesh dressings after open shoulder surgery, to identify differences in clinic utilization for complications related to silk fibroin and 2-octyl cyanoacrylate mesh dressings and to collect patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) related to patient comfort and satisfaction for silk fibroin and 2-octyl cyanoacrylate mesh dressings.

The goal of this clinical trial is to collect environmental, bio-humoral, and clinical data derived from patients with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and systemic metal allergic syndromes related to the exposure to heavy metals, nanoparticles, and emergent contaminants and from healthy subjects. The main question it aims to answer is: are environmental, bio-humoral, and clinical data derived from patients with ACD and systemic metal allergic syndromes, related to the exposure to heavy metals, nanoparticles, and emergent contaminants, different from ones obtained by healthy subjects? Researchers will compare serum and urine concentration of heavy metals and nanoparticles, patch test to metals, within-breath analysis of oscillometry parameters, serum zonulin, and serum levels of protein oxidation products among patients with systemic allergic syndrome (1st study group), patients with ACD (2nd study group) and healthy subjects (3rd study group). Participants will undergo: * measurement of exposure to heavy metals and nanoparticles including nickel, cobalt, chromium, palladium, molybdenum, aluminium, and copper, through serum and urine measurement of concentration. * Patch test to before mentioned metals. * Within-breath analysis of oscillometry parameters. * Measurement of serum zonulin (related to gastro-intestinal exposure). * Measurement of serum levels of protein oxidation products (as markers of systemic oxidative stress).

Contact dermatitis (CD) is a common inflammatory skin disease, affecting approximately 15-20% of the general population in industrialized countries and ranking first among occupational diseases in many European countries. The patch test method aims at reproducing the eczematous lesions by applying occlusive patches containing the suspected allergens to the patient's healthy skin. It requires experienced medical staff to read the reaction. Newtones Technologies society has developed a new tool, the SkinCam®, able to capture high resolution cross and parallel images, allowing a quantification of color and relief of skin. This study aims to illustrate patch test results, describing skin appearance (color, roughness, shine), using photographs taken by the SkinCam®.