Where there is a contact allergy, there' s often a food allergy too, the most common being to dairy products and wheat. Sometimes only a combination of eating an allergy-provoking food and contact with an external allergen will trigger the symptoms. It' s a good idea to do elimination tests on all these allergens, both edible and nonedible. Cut out each one for 10 days and see what happens. Even better is to test yourself for food intolerances.

Another predisposing factor is alack of essential fatty acids from seeds and their oils, and oily fish, which control inflammation in the body. Try supplementing star flower or borage oil; 1,000mg provides roughly 250mg of the essential fat GLA, which is what you are looking for. GLA has been proven to help reduce skin inflammation and is widely available in healthfood stores.