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Transcript:
So, you know how some people are allergic to flowers, dogs, cats, pollen--those kinds of things? Well, in my case, it’s a little more… peculiar. And by that, I mean… I’m allergic to clothes… well, more specifically, I’m allergic to fabrics… even more specifically, I’m allergic to most things the fabrics are manufactured with. Because of my unfortunate allergy, It’s hard for me to find clothes that won’t irritate my skin. So, because of that, I have to wear crop tops and shorts year-round. Most clothes are made of polyester, along with cotton, and other types of fabrics. It started when I was fifteen. I made my school’s soccer team back then, and wore jersey’s, obviously. They were made of polyester fabrics. Polyester is purely a man-made fabric, unlike cotton, wool, or silk. Even though it was a breathable fabric, I sweated a lot while on the field. I didn’t notice it until after I went home and changed. My skin, specifically my shoulders, chest, and hips were covered in rashes and a bright red. I thought it was from the heat and my body was trying to cool itself, so I didn’t say anything to my parents. The rash didn’t go away for a few hours, but it faded. I put on loose, cool clothes afterwards. It helped, but not all the way.
The patchy red spots spread across most of my body, and I found that wearing tighter, not-so-soft clothing bothered it even more. My parents asked me why I wore such short clothing, especially since it wasn’t that hot out yet. I had no choice but to tell them what’s been going on. At first, they thought it was the detergent they used to wash the clothes. The brand uses dye for the liquid, and perhaps it was bothering my skin through the clothes. So they switched brands. It seemed to help a little, but it never really went away. It got to the point where my hips, stomach, and chest were covered in red rashes that began to grow itchy with time. My parents were worried I was allergic to the fabric I wore. They didn’t take me to the doctor yet, but they poured powder over my body to help with the irritation. It didn’t help at all. No matter what clothes I wore, I was always uncomfortable and scratched myself. I looked like a dog with fleas in public. My parents bought me new clothes that were made of cotton. It wasn’t any better because I hated the fabric and it still bothered my skin.
It got to the point where I was uncomfortable with everything I wore and couldn’t wear anything but shorts and thin tank tops. I was overall unhappy and constantly had a rash and bad skin reactions. My parents were stumped as to what might have been causing it. So they took me to a doctor. When they explained my symptoms, the doctor put patches on my arms and legs. It was only a few minutes until my skin started to react to it. It was then the doctor diagnosed me with textile dermatitis. Which basically means I’m allergic to certain fabrics, dyes, and liquids to make them wrinkle-free. In regards to treating it, I can’t fully avoid getting a reaction. Mostly because my skin is sensitive to most clothing. Some more than others. She prescribed me taking over-the-counter pills to help with the flare-ups and control the rashes, and itches. I was only taking them once a day, but they helped enormously. Even though I still had some redness, the itchiness went away and the rashes weren’t as bad. The medicine helped me a lot, but I had a soccer game a few weeks later. The doctor said that tight clothes and sweat made the rashes and reactions worse. So, not only were the jerseys made of polyester, the main allergen, but I was also going to be out in a hot field for almost an hour and a half, sweating.
