Can tea tree oil cause a chemical burn?

I'm having a pretty bad reaction to it. My skin is red and some spots look waxy white and it does feel rough. I've been putting polysporin on it for the past 2 days but it's getting worse. Its about 3 inchs long and a inch wide. By description it sounds like a burn. I'm really not sure if the oil can really give a burn like this though? Would this also fit a severe contact dermatitis reaction? It was pure essential oil that I spilled and wiped off myself with tissue.





Thanks :-)Can tea tree oil cause a chemical burn?
When not diluted, tea tree oil is extremely harsh to skin. It's possible you caused a great deal of irritation and possibly triggered an allergic reaction. It sounds sort of like a patch of eczema, or pretty much contact dermatitis in this case (as you guessed!). Instead of using polysporin, pick up some hydrocortizone and some sort of topical antihistamine. If it doesn't get better after trying those two things, I would see a doctor. Good luck.Can tea tree oil cause a chemical burn?
Oh gosh I once used tea tree oil and had the same type of reaction. I went to the doctor and he didn't really tell me much other than tea tree oil always need to be diluted...and that I was allergic to it :/