Medical professionals in the country have advised individuals to take pre caution while adopting skin products for themselves and their children.
The experts who gathered at the SYNLAB Nigeria webinar urged Nigerians on the managing allergy in day to day activity.
Speaking on the development, the Consultant Dermatologist, Dr. Viola Ikebudu, said that recently various fragrances, cosmetics and organic creams have been found to contain substances that the immune systems detect and seek to neutralise, and thereby causing allergic symptoms.
She advised individuals to be mindful of what they apply on their body, emphasising that as the largest organ of the body, anything that is applied on the skin has the tendency to get into other parts of the body.
On his part, consultant paediatrician, Dr Ayodele Renner, advised that parents ensure they purchase products containing mild or no fragrance, as this would be friendlier on the children’s skin than those
with strong fragrances.
He emphasized that fragrance is an important allergen, and therefore if it is possible, parents should go for fragrance free products bearing in mind that certain fragrances may contain substances that can predispose children to allergic symptoms.
He said that instead of merely relying on other people’s recommendation in choosing skin products for their babies, parents should pay attention to the baby’s skin type and speak to a physician if they notice that the baby’s skin is beginning to be drier than usual.
The speakers listed loss of consciousness, swelling of lips and tongue, dizziness and fainting, redness, itching and hives, watery and red eyes, shortness of breath and wheezing, tummy pain, vomiting and diarrhea as symptoms of allergy.
They advised that anyone showing these symptoms should visit their physician and be sure that they are not allergic to one thing or the other.
Sharing some statistics on the prevalence of allergy, Dr Renner noted that according to available reports
approximately one in eight children have asthma globally, one in 13 children have eczema and one
in eight children have allergic rhinitis.
Other interesting statistics shared at the event show that between 10-30% of the world are dealing
with allergies. It was also learnt that female have higher chances of being allergic than men and allergies are more common in the urban areas than it is in rural areas. The webinar titled Living with Allergies: Strategies for managing allergies in families, is the second of the SYNLAB Nigeria webinar series for 2024. SYNLAB Nigeria webinar attracts hundreds of participants every quarter and has become a trusted health education and advocacy platform.
About SYNLAB
SYNLAB Nigeria is a member of the SYNLAB group, with presence in 35 countries in four continents. The organization has over 30 active locations across Nigeria and has been ISO 15189 certified since 2006.
SYNLAB Group is the leader in medical diagnostic services and specialty testing in Europe. The Group offers a full range of innovative and reliable medical diagnostics to patients, practicing doctors, hospitals and clinics, governments and corporates.
Providing the leading level of service within the industry, SYNLAB is the partner of choice for routine and specialty diagnostics in human and veterinary medicine. The Group continuously innovates medical diagnostic services for the benefit of patients and customers.
