Introduction to Allergies
Allergy, an abnormal increase in an organism's sensitivity to certain drugs or external stimuli; drug allergy; overly sensitive: Don't be so sensitive, no one said anything bad about you. Simply put, an allergy is an adverse reaction to a certain substance. When you eat, touch, or inhale a substance, your body produces an excessive reaction; the substance that causes this reaction is called an "allergen". Under normal circumstances, the body produces antibodies to protect itself from disease; but in an allergic person, the body mistakenly identifies a normally harmless substance as harmful, produces antibodies, and this substance becomes an "allergen". This allergic reaction can lead to various physical problems that typically do not occur in non-allergic individuals.
Causes of Onset
Intrinsic factors refer to having a constitution prone to allergies, which plays a leading role in the onset of skin allergies. Early and complete desensitization is key to treating skin allergies and preventing recurrence. Delicious seafood can also cause allergies.
There are many extrinsic factors, including diet, inhaled substances, climate, and contact with allergens. Among these, seafood, protein, spicy foods, alcohol, inhaled pollen, dust mites, cold weather, contact with chemicals, soaps, and detergents are the most common triggers for skin allergies. Due to such complex causes, skin allergies often recur as a result of numerous underlying causes and triggering factors intertwining.
Skin allergies are the culprit behind acne: According to outpatient experience in European and American countries, among patients seeking treatment for acne, skin allergies are a significant cause. Some acne cases are numerous and itchy, and even after treatment, they improve and worsen intermittently. Generally, when discussing the causes of acne, the usual culprits are diet, hormonal imbalances, stress, or genetics. However, clinical cases have found that some cases of acne with unknown causes that are difficult to根治 (root out) are due to the recurrence caused by not treating skin allergies simultaneously. After taking a skin allergy treatment kit, skin problems show signs of improvement soon.
Research in skin cell physiology indicates that sensitive skin is caused by damaged skin cells, leading to a decrease in the skin's immunity. If these damaged cells are not repaired in time, they will continue to divide into skin cells with poor immunity and an incomplete sebum barrier, thereby causing various problems associated with sensitive skin and many sequelae, such as chronic skin allergies, hyperpigmentation, redness, and swelling from allergic skin damage, enlarged pores, pimples and acne, spots, and aging wrinkles.
Allergies are now a major problem plaguing the beauty and medical industries. Cosmetic allergies, in particular, are an issue many women and people in certain professions face, including: lip swelling and pain from lipstick, scalp redness and blisters from hair dye, and itching, pain, and hyperpigmentation from sunscreens and spot removers. People with allergies have sensitive skin, and even applying seemingly simple cosmetics can lead to adverse reactions. Common culprits include lipstick and hair dye, which can immediately cause allergic reactions like redness, swelling, heat, itching, pain, and blistering. Not only is there no sense of beauty, but embarrassment also frequently occurs.
Characteristics of an Allergic Constitution
From an immunological perspective, individuals with an "allergic constitution" often have the following characteristics:
① Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the antibody that mediates allergic reactions. The amount of IgE in the serum of normal people is extremely small, while in some "allergic" individuals, serum IgE levels can be 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than in normal people.
② In normal individuals, there is a certain ratio between helper T cell 1 (Th1) and helper T cell 2 (Th2). These two types of cells coordinate to maintain a balanced immune system. In some "allergic" individuals, Th2 cells often dominate. Th2 cells can secrete a substance called interleukin-4 (IL-4), which induces the synthesis of IgE, thereby increasing serum IgE levels.
③ The normal human gastrointestinal tract contains various digestive enzymes that completely break down protein-based foods before they are absorbed into the bloodstream. However, some "allergic" individuals lack these digestive enzymes, causing proteins to be absorbed into the bloodstream without being fully broken down, leading to allergic reactions in the gastrointestinal tract from foreign proteins. These patients often also lack protective antibodies distributed on the surface of the intestinal mucosa—secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). A lack of these antibodies can allow intestinal bacteria to cause inflammation on the mucosal surface, which accelerates the absorption of foreign proteins by the intestinal mucosa and triggers gastrointestinal allergic reactions.
④ The normal human body contains a certain amount of histaminase, which has a destructive effect on histamine (a substance that can cause smooth muscle contraction, capillary dilation, and increased permeability) released by certain cells during allergic reactions. Therefore, even if normal people have allergic reactions to certain substances, their symptoms are not obvious. However, some "allergic" individuals lack histaminase and cannot break down the histamine that triggers allergic reactions, leading to obvious allergic symptoms.
The root cause of these immunological abnormalities is often closely related to genetics.
Naming of Allergic Diseases:
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract.