[Samilia]

Hi there! I just created this account purely to ask you smart people this question!
 
I have no degree, nore have i ever studied chemistry, so please go easy on me with the chemistry "lingo". Haha.

So anyways, i just recently found out i am allergic to "Acrylic" of sorts after i paid hundreds of dollars to have hair extensions put in, that were applied with a very strong acrylic adhesive double sided TAPE. that lasts 8 weeks.

I had to have this removed early due to intense itching and hives all over my head.

I have since ordered a tape from america that is hypoallergenic, but i just realised, it  says it is "reinforced acrylic adhesive" - what does that mean!!??!!?. can it be a different type to the one i just had a reaction to? Are all acrylics the same? If i react to some types of acrylics, doesnt that i mean i should be allergic to all of them?

 I have a hair spray product that has SODIUM POLYACRYLATE in it - it gives me HIVES every time i use it.

I also have reactions to eyelash glue, which has "ETHYLHEXYL ACRYLATE" - this gives me sore, itcy, swollen eyes.

I also have a body wash thats gives me mild irritation, its has - "ACRYLATES COPOLYMER"

And another body wash gives me a reaction and it has - "ACRYLATE /c10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATES CROSSPOLYMER "

There is a revlon Foundation makeup i used Not long ago and i reacted to that also.. it was- ETHYLENE METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER.

 BUT i have had acrylic nails done hundreds of times and i NEVER REACT to them - they are made from - POLYMETHYL METHACRYLATE.

WHAT is the difference between:
*REINFORCED ACRYLIC ADHESIVE
*SODIUM POLYACRYLATE
*ETHYLHEXYL ACRYLATE
*ACRYLATES COPOLYMER
*ACRYLATE /c10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATES CROSSPOLYMER
*ETHYLENE METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER
*POLYMETHYL METHACRYLATE

^^^ are these all just different terms for the same thing? Are they all the same acrylic but just In "different states", if i am allergic to some, does that mean i should be allegic to all?

Sorry for the epic question, and i hope SOMEONE can help. I hope it makes sense.

Thanks so much!! SAMMY.

[Borek]

Are all acrylics the same?

No. They are all made using acrylic acid, so they all share the same core group of atoms, but otherwise they can be quite different, as acrylic acid is only one of the reagents used.

If i react to some types of acrylics, doesnt that i mean i should be allergic to all of them?

It is quite likely that you will be allergic to all of them, but to a varying degree. In my (limited) experience allergic reactions can be surprisingly specific.

WHAT is the difference between:
*REINFORCED ACRYLIC ADHESIVE
*SODIUM POLYACRYLATE
*ETHYLHEXYL ACRYLATE
*ACRYLATES COPOLYMER
*ACRYLATE /c10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATES CROSSPOLYMER
*ETHYLENE METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER
*POLYMETHYL METHACRYLATE

^^^ are these all just different terms for the same thing?

No. Some of them are quite different, some are are quite similar, some are mixtures. Hard to explain the differences without digging deep into chemistry (and even then some names don't say anything about the chemistry behind, "REINFORCED" can mean anything, "ACRYLATES COPOLYMER" is quite generic too).

[Samilia]

Ahhh thank you so much for your reply!

 I just did a 24 hour skin patch to yet another acrylic and got no reaction. So that is really reassuring. I think you are right, i am allergic to most on varying degress. Some i get very mild reactions, some none and the sodium polyacrylate i get severe itchinging hives that turn into oozing blisters. 

But thank you so much for your answer because i actually undertsand the difference to them now on a superficial level.

Cheers 👌

[DrCMS]

I would be very surprised if you are sensitive to sodium polyacrylate or any other acrylate polymers.  They are typically just too big to cross cell membranes etc. so your body just sees them as a lump of inert plastic.  You are most probably reacting to traces of unreacted monomer or initiator ued to make these polymers

[bubblegumpi]

Alot of people get confused about this. In chemistry things like acrylic refer to a group of molecules (groups of atoms). Just altering one atom makes for a totally different molecule. Here is a very lay person/childish example: What the difference in meth and the adderal your kids takes for ADD? A fart molecule. Seriously.
Meth is METH amphetamine.
Adderal is amphetamine
Human flatulence contains methane.
When we add a METHyl group to amphetamine (and take away one hydrogen atom from the methane) you get methamphetamine. Two VERY different things.
So its best not to think of chemicals as just ingredients. Wood is made up of sugar molecules, you can take these same sugar molecules and link them together to get cellophane which is a plastic. But you don't look at the cellophane as sugar, because while chemically it IS a sugar polymer (a long string of molecules linked together at the ends) to people its 100% different. Plastic bag and many drugs we take are all made from crude oil but they are very different. The acrylic in your hair products is also made from oil, you could be allergic to gasoline but not plastic.

So best advice is trial and error, try to buy things with as few ingredients as possible, and remember that when something says "Organic" that means nothing. I'm sure many people here have issues with that label because technically gasoline is more organic then fresh vegetables. Thats compounded by the fact that here in america at least the definition for organic is purposely so vague it no longer means anything.

[Samilia]

Excellent explanation! Thank you and i get it!! Haha. See.. smart people on this forum =)