Leather Allergies

[abn]

I'm hoping someone here may be able to help with this...

About a month ago, I started developing really small but painful blisters on the pads of my hands. Just a couple at a time, but they were pretty uncomfortable. Well, I switched hand soap from Dial to Ivory. I switched my shampoo. I stopped using the soap at work and ultimately started using Purell instead of soap altogether. I tried to change everything my hands came into contact with to see if I could remedy the problem. Nothing helped.

Then, I got busy and didn't do any leatherwork for a few weeks. Things got better. When I got back into my projects, the blisters reappeared. Coincidentally, I purchased a new side of Tandy's cheap, imported stuff (Craftsman Oak) right around the time my problems started. Never had an issue using the top-shelf stuff like Live Oak.

At this point, I'm assuming the chemicals in this hide are the problem, but wanted to query the experts here to ask if they've ever heard of any sort of leather allergy.

Any comments are sincerely appreciated! -Alex

[wildrose]

I thought I'd heard Johanna has a leather allergy? Check with her...

[Johanna]

I do. Some leathers will give me the blisters, some just hives, some I have no reaction to. Wash your hands a lot! Never pop or scratch the blisters because then they itch like crazy. Cortaid cream helps. When my hands itch really badly, isopropyl alcohol helps. I am also very allergic to raw pine, so I've wondered if the two are related...i.e. am I sensitive to some leathers because pine is used in the tanning process? I can't predict which veggie tanned leather will bother me- I have had high and low priced episodes. Only one hospital visit though- and that was because I had tiny little holes in my hands from sewing while unpacking a shipment of hides from Argentina. Don't rub your eyes while working, ever. I can't stand gloves. The more I'm around leather the less it bothers me, but the last time I went into a Tandy store I broke out in full body hives within an hour. I know it's because I am seldom around leather any more, and I just had to touch everything. Go figure.

Johanna

[TwinOaks]

My brother in law is allergic to deer hide- but only after it's processed.

I've never heard of an allergy to actual leather (until Jo's post) but I've certainly heard of chemical burns. It sounds to me like you're having a reaction to some of the chemicals being used- not the dead cow. There's been reports of some people having severe reactions to the chemicals found in common household cleaners; bad enough to head the the ER. Hang in there.

Oh, and if someone wants to give you a little very dark purple/ black pill about half the size of a green pea.....make sure you're where you want to be for the next two days before taking it.

[Michael Sheldon]

Allergies can strike anywhere. I know a couple of folks who play Irish (wooden) flutes that developed allergies to the wood the flutes are made of.

For the sound of things, it's not so much leather that you're allergic to as a specific tanning/treatment. Ditch the hide that's causing you issues, and go back to what you were using before. Hopefully you won't have any issues.

[Johanna]

I had a dog that could not wear a veggie tanned collar with a raw inside (not waxed or finished) or he would lose hair and scratch at his raw skin. I made all his collars lined with Cabretta, laced nice and pretty, because, hey, I could. It's the flesh side that usually irritates, not the grain side. Deerskin sometimes makes me itchy, especially in the heat. I remember wearing a deerskin dress to a Pow Wow in Georgia- and taking a Benadryl on the way home for the resulting hives. My Cabretta tops and skirts have never bothered me. Upholstery leather and most chrome/alum tans don't set me off.

Wet a piece of suspicious leather and hold it in the crook of your elbow for 30 seconds. If you react to it, you have identified a problem leather.

Johanna

[AlcoveShop]

Ive seen those blisters on more than one occasion myself, and it took a few years to (doh!) finally narrow it down to some of the leathers out there- it didnt really become apparent until I took a vacation and came back (managed at Tandy for about a decade and it was almost 5 years that I took said vac and really lef tthe store for more than a day or so) and cracked open a fresh shipment.

For me the suedes were the worst, leading up to crazy itching episodes to some hefty blisters like you mention. Over time the veg hides seemed to fluctuate with this. I see J has the opposite though, more on the veg side than the chrome end. Wierd.

Now funnier still, since I left and have been working with primarily domestic hides, I havent seen this- to the point of forgetting about it till I saw it mentioned here.

Maybe the terrorists found a way to slowly work themselves in? (joking there)

Edited July 26, 2008 by AlcoveShop

[TwinOaks]

PETA conspiracy....it's gotta be. They've managed to get someone on the inside at the tanneries.

[12stones]

I'm allergic to leather dye. So, that might be part of the problem too, unless you're not dying the leather.

[abn]

A special thank-you to everyone who kindly responded. This problem has been driving me nuts for the last month or so. Following several people's advice, I put the imported hide in a heavy plastic bag and set it aside. I also threw away any remaining scraps. (All this with gloves on, of course.) Then, I did a little work with Live Oak (American origin) veg-tan. We'll see if the blisters, as I suspect, completely clear up. I also took Johanna's advice and washed my hands more, not less.

Also, as 12stones mentioned, I've fallen out of the use of gloves with leather dye since I'm using the Eco-Flo water-based stuff and I try to be careful. Nonetheless, I'm going to start dyeing with gloves on again, too. Might help.

Thanks again, everyone! Regards, -Alex