Screening allergens for acrylate dermatitis associated with artificial nails

image Acrylates are increasingly observed to be a cause of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), especially in the cosmetic industry. Patients suspected of acrylate allergy are generally tested to 33 acrylates, and acrylate-allergic patients commonly react positively to many of these allergens. image The objective of the study was to develop a short list of screening acrylates to diagnose acrylate allergy in patients wearing artificial nails. image Twenty-three patients with ACD to acrylates were studied and their patch test reaction rates to 33 acrylates analyzed to identify the acrylates that were most frequently positive. image Based on the frequency with which each acrylate was positive in a group of 11 patients wearing artificial nails and the known use of specific acrylates in the nail industry, ethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxy ethyl acrylate, etylene glycol dimethacrylate, ethyl α cyanoacrylate, and triethylene glycol diacrylate were identified as screening acrylates. image The pattern of acrylate cross-reactivity among the most frequently positive acrylates suggests that a functional group that is a “carboxy ethyl side group” may be requisite for ACD to acrylates.