# Allergic to Band-aid Adhesive and Neosporin?



## Sweety_tweety

My problem is nowhere near the seriousness of many of these postings.  My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone.

Recently, I had three moles removed and as a result I am having more of an allergic reaction than usual to band-aid adhesive and Neosporin. I can't possibly be the only person with this problem--by posting this message some people might share how they deal with these types of allergies.  

I have tried all kinds of band-aid and have now switched to paper tape.  Still have some reaction to the paper tape.  I have contacted various companies (3M, Johnson & Johnson, etc.) for suggestions.  Their Customer Service is basically useless.  

After some searching on the internet, it was recommended to use adhesive remover.  The drugstores do not carry adhesive remover.  I purchased the adhesive remover from Walgreens.com.   As for the allergy to Neosporin, my dermatologist recommended using Vaseline.


----------



## pumba

my daughter was and still is allergic to bandaids and anything with that type of sticky to it....we used for the bad injuries the wrap around gauze and it would stick to itself.....when she injured her eye.....the hospital put paper tape on her and said no one is allergic to that.....she had a mild reaction to it.....but not like regular bandaids........vaseline and keeping the area clean is about all you can do....


----------



## Bibbidi

My dd6 and I are both allergic to any type of topical ointment--i.e. neosporin. Allergist said to wash any cuts/abrasions with soap and water and rinse with hydrogen peroxide. There is also a prescription based ointment that is supposedly non-allergenic--but I can't recall the name right now. He also said if an infection ever started, that he'd put dd or myself on an oral antibiotic and treat it that way instead of topically. 

With regard to band-aids, I am allergic to latex and a couple times docs have put bandaids on me after say a flu shot, and my arm where the adhesive was gets red/itchy. Thankfully it's only ever been a localized reaction. I know latex allergy is rare--but I'm not even exposed to latex on a regular basis, so I'm not sure why I have that allergy (it's been confirmed through blood testing though so it's definitely there). 

Not sure if any of that helps, best of luck to you!


----------



## KennedyMcKenna

I have a latex allergy, and latex is in EVERYTHING. I would say, try some non latex bandaids and see how that goes.


----------



## Poohbear5

When I was in the hospital and had extended wound care, the wound specialist swabbed the area with what she called "skin barrier". It wiped on clear but looked a little like flaky skin. It realy helped with reducing irriation from the tegaderm adhesive. 
The "skin barrier wipes" came in little individual packages like a handiwipe that you would get at  fast food place. 
Since then, I have asked medical professional to use that before bandaging my skin and they say they have never heard of this product. I've search high and lo and not be able to find it since we ran out of the supply ordered by visiting nurses. Apparently, adhesive allergies are pretty rare. My surgeon was an older man who had never had another patient allergic (very fast reaction) to steri-strips and tegaderm adhesive. Same reaction to band-aids so I wrap with gauze and tape, avoiding the skin.


----------



## pixie921

I've read that Neosporin is notorious for causing allergic reactions, even fatal ones.  Our doctor told us not to use it, ever.  It drove my mil crazy when ds was younger because she LOVES Neosporin and was always trying to use it on ds, and he wouldn't let her.  She argued with me endlessly about it. We use Bacitracin instead, and have had no problems with it.

I also have a latex allergy and tried using the latex-free bandages.  Those also irritated my skin, so we've switched to Walgreen's brand of latex-free, sensitive skin bandages.  If they're used on delicate skin, they still leave a small welt, but nothing like the other bandages we've tried.  I haven't found anything else that works for me.


----------



## Christine

I am allergic to both Band-Aid brand bandages and Neosporin.  I wasn't always but I am now.

The first time I had a reaction was when I had some things removed from my face.  The derm put Neosporin on them.  Well, my face was covered in hives for 3 weeks.  It was awful.  Up until that point, I had used Neosporin for most of my life with no issues.

I then, like you, had some moles removed from my back and the band-aids were a problem.  I had welts for 2 weeks from them.  My derm knew about the Neosporin issue and just told me to use a bandaid with vaseline on it.

I have found that I can use Nexcare bandaids with no problem.  The waterproof ones, especially, do not bother me.  Paper tape from labs that draw blood also does not bother me.  But Band-Aid brand--no way.


----------



## LaurLaur04

My DD2 is also allergic to Band-aid adhesive! I thought she was the only one in the world! lol Its nothing serious, but she breaks out in an awful rash in the exact pattern of the band-aid.  Idk how to get around that either being its on all bandaids.  The other poster had a good idea about the wrap around.  At my work (I'm an x-ray tech in an urgent care) we have "Coban" which is like an ace bandage that sticks to itself.  I typically put a piece of gauze on a patient and then hold it in place by wrapping a bit of coban around it.  Works perfect!  As for the neosporin, I have never tried it on my daughter (she is scared of everything so rarely gets hurt lol) so I don't know any suggestions?


----------



## kelleyrn2000

My dd (8) is recently allergic to the Band-Aid adhesives too.  It becomes a red raised itchy rash.  The bandaids that have the stretchy cloth don't seem to bother her though, so I don't think it's latex, just the particular adhesive in the regular Band-aids.


----------



## TruBlu

I am allergic to all adhesives.  My last surgery they had to use staples because I react terribly to the steri-strips.  I had a naso-gastric tube for about 10 days.  They tried to keep it in place with tape.  After a few days my nose was huge, red, and blistered!  It was terrible.  When my kids finally got to visit me they called me Rudolph.   Now I just use plain gauze with tiny pieces of paper tape to hold it on.  I move the tape a couple of times a day to avoid getting blisters.  AND I take tons of Benadryl.  It is SO not fun!!!


----------



## rmom50

*We have latex allergies too - they are very common.  Be careful in the future though to tell dentists and doctors that you may be allergic (it's sometimes even in their gloves! ).  It does take quite a while for the rash to go away too (like a couple weeks).  It's good to know that you are allergic though.  *


----------



## Christine

rmom50 said:


> *We have latex allergies too - they are very common.  Be careful in the future though to tell dentists and doctors that you may be allergic (it's sometimes even in their gloves! ).  It does take quite a while for the rash to go away too (like a couple weeks).  It's good to know that you are allergic though.  *




rmom--these are adhesive allergies being discusse here.  Many people are fine with the latex.  It is the sticky stuff on the bandage that is a problem. Even non-latex bandages cause this.


----------



## rmom50

*sorry.  *


----------



## Christine

rmom50 said:


> *sorry.  *



Oh no need to apologize I just wanted to clarify that it wasn't latex that was the issue.  And I'd hate to have a latex allergy.  So hard.


----------



## peterchast

You can try Tape relief inder your bandages. It is a new kind of lotion that dries into some sort of protective shell. The adhesive will stick to the Tape Relief and never touch your skin. 

I haven't seen it in drug stores yet. I think you might still have to get it from their website: taperelief.com


----------



## ikerumba

If you know that you are already allergic to natural rubber latex, then there is a good chance that you will be allergic to foods that also contain latex such as such as avocados, bananas, kiwis, eggplant, passion fruit, mangos, papayas..

Allergic reactions can include itching, burning, and/or swelling of the lips, tongue, mouth, and throat. Severe allergic reactions are also possible including anaphylaxis where your airways can become so inflamed that they constrict. Either way, if you suffer from latex related allergies youll want to stay away from these foods. 

Also I've heard of people who can tolerate these foods individually, but when they combine fruits like a Mango/Banana smoothie or Papaya/Banana smoothie, they have allergic reactions.


----------



## GatorMommy2007

KennedyMcKenna said:


> I have a latex allergy, and latex is in EVERYTHING. I would say, try some non latex bandaids and see how that goes.



Same here...and Neosporin FEEDS an infection in me.  Watch how you react around balloons and rubberbands.

Strangely enough, I have no reaction to foods, but I always carry Benadryl just in case.

Mine started with just Bandaids and Neosporin, and then it grew to a full blown latex allergy--discovered when my throat closed when my child was playing with it in a car.


----------



## StitchesGr8Fan

How do you know if you are reacting to the adhesive? When I take band aids off I have a raised red welt in the shape of the bandage for a couple days. Nothing where the pad is, just where the tape is. Is that what you are talking about?


----------



## Schmeck

For the ointment allergy - try to find an antibiotic *cream* instead. I am allergic to all ointments, as it is something in the ointment base that causes my skin to swell.

I have adhesive sensitivity too. I've done the gauze and wrap, the ace bandage stuff, and I've tried NuSkin too. None work as well as a good old bandaid, so I alternate as needed. Luckily, I heal very quickly!


----------

