Dermatitis can have many causes
A wide variety of substances can cause a skin condition called contact dermatitis, which is often controlled with a proper diagnosis and treatment, experts say.
Contact dermatitis is a chronic or acute inflammation of the skin resulting from contact with a chemical, biological, or physical. The most common culprits include cosmetics, perfumes, certain foods, nickel and other metals, cleaning solutions and detergents, industrial chemicals and rubber latex.
The majority (between 20 and 35 per cent) of cases of dermatitis affecting the hands, including over 75 percent of cases of contact dermatitis related to the workplace, according to experts at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) in Seattle.
“Allergic contact dermatitis of the hands is very common in certain trades. As such health professionals, hairdressers and cosmetologists, carpenters, machine operators or those working with chemicals,” said Dr. James. S. Taylor, director of the Section of industrial dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, in a press release from the ACAAI.
Patch tests are important in the diagnosis of hand dermatitis, as allergic contact dermatitis may appear alone or with irritant dermatitis, atypical or otherwise, Taylor said. Treatment depends on the cause of dermatitis.
“To relieve the symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis, it is necessary to omit or substitute or use the allergen usually topical or systemic corticosteroids occasionally,” said Taylor.
The second most common site for dermatitis is the face and eyelids, often due to a reaction to a cosmetic, soap or other personal care product.
“The patient has to change to a new brand of makeup or a different cleaner before you see the skin rash. Normally, we treat this condition with a topical corticosteroid and we tell the patient to stop using the product,” stated Dr. Vincent A. DeLeo, chief of dermatology at Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt in New York City, in the press release of the ACAAI.
Usually the patch test is not required in cases of dermatitis of the face and eyelids, but may be required if the patient does not improve after switching products skin care and topical treatment, said DeLeo.