Dark-brown, inflamed spots on the chest, neck, face, disturbing with slight itching, may be due to the fact that the patient used his favorite perfume before going out into the bright sun. Usually a favorite perfume, which is valued for its persistent floral or citrus scent, contains a certain amount of essential oils. It is these oils, or rather the furanocoumarins contained in them, that can cause photodermatosis. This disease, caused by bergamot and some other oils, even has a special name - Burlock's dermatosis, after the doctor who first described it about a hundred years ago.
Why substances from essential oil cause photodermatosis
The essence of photodermatosis caused by plant components of perfumery is that a number of essential oils - such as, for example, bergamot, to a lesser extent, Bulgarian rose, lemon, orange, lavender, sandalwood and some others - contain in their composition of photosensitizing chemical elements. These elements are called furanocoumarins, they include psoralen and its derivatives, bergaptol, angelicin, xanthothal. When a sunbeam hits furanocoumarin, it, absorbing the energy received, changes its chemical structure, while releasing a certain amount of heat. This released heat destroys skin cells, causing flushing and swelling. Further, intensive melanogenesis begins on the affected area and hyperpigmentation appears - as a protective reaction of the body to sunlight.
For the first time a typical picture of skin reaction to perfume under the influence of the sun was described by Dr. Berloque in 1916, when he observed the characteristic signs of photodermatosis in vacationers on the Adriatic coast. Empirically, the doctor found that all patients who came to him with painful erymatous spots on the skin used bergamot oil cologne before sunbathing.
It is worth noting that today scientists consider the photodynamic effect of bergamot essential oil not obligatory, for the manifestation of photodermatosis to furocoumarins from the essential oil, the patient must have an individual tendency. Perhaps that is why the same perfume may not alarm one person at all even when going out into the active sun, but cause severe dermatitis in another.
Not only bergamot oil, but a number of other essential oils, especially citrus oils, as well as perfumes containing the following ingredients have similar photodermatic properties:
- musk,
- balsam of Peru,
- citralate,
- benzoic acid,
- hydroxycitropelate,
- St. John's wort extract.
Moreover, photodermatosis can be caused not only by perfumes, but also by skin care products that contain the above components.
How does photodermatosis associated with the use of perfume
Berlok's dermatitis, as photodermatosis is also called, provoked by the use of perfumes and cosmetics with essential fragrances, usually proceeds in two stages. On the first, bright purple dry erymatous spots appear, which do not peel off, but can cause slight itching and unpleasantly painful sensations. The spots have clear, sharp boundaries and are located exactly in the places where the perfume was applied, which makes it easier to diagnose.
The stage of erymatous spots is quickly replaced by the stage of hyperpigmentation. It is worth noting that sometimes pigmentation at the site of application of perfume can be very delayed and occur several years after skin contact with applied perfume and sunlight.
Special treatment of Berlok's dermatitis does not require, only symptomatic therapy is prescribed if necessary.
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