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Allergies

Sensitive vs allergic

06/15/2009

Question:

Can someone just be sensitive to a topical substance (in my case, an ingredient in hair dye) without being allergic to it or are they one and the same?

Answer:

Contact topical reactions are referred to as either allergic or sensitization reactions.

For more information:

Go to the Allergies health topic, where you can:

Response by:

University of Cincinnati I. Leonard Bernstein, MD
Clinical Professor Emeritus
Co-Director of the University Hospital Allergy Clinic
Co-Director of the Allergy Research Laboratory
Division of Immunology and Allergy
Department of Internal Medicine
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati
I. Leonard Bernstein, MD