AROMATHERAPY may soothe the mind, but this trendy treatment can be irritating for the therapist. Repeatedly handling essential oils can leave them highly prone to itchy, blistering dermatitis.
Glen Crawford of the Pennsylvania Centre for Dermatology in Philadelphia asked nearly 300 registered massage therapists in the city about their use of aromatherapy products, and whether they had experienced any symptoms of dermatitis – ranging from dry, flaky skin to cracked and weeping wounds – in the past year.
Using aromatherapy creams and oils greatly increased the risk of hand dermatitis (The Archives of Dermatology, vol 140, p 991), with 22 per cent…
