Who gets and causes
Who gets contact dermatitis?
Anyone can develop contact dermatitis. People working in certain professions have a higher risk. In fact, this is so common that your doctor may tell you that you have occupational dermatitis.
People who are more likely to get occupational dermatitis include:
- Nurses (and other health care workers)
- Beauticians
- Bartenders
- Chefs (and others who work with food)
- Florists (and others who work with plants)
- Construction workers
- Janitors
- Mechanics
- Plumbers
Nurses and beauticians often develop dry, cracked skin on their palms and fingers. Wearing latex gloves frequently throughout the day causes some people to develop an allergy to latex. A common sign of this allergy is itchy, inflamed hands.
You also have a greater risk of developing contact dermatitis if you have (or had) one of these medical conditions:
- Asthma
- Hay fever
- Atopic dermatitis (often called eczema)
Your environment also plays a role. Extreme heat or cold, high humidity, and very dry air make the skin more vulnerable.
What causes contact dermatitis?
A person develops contact dermatitis when something that touches the skin does one of the following:
- Irritates the skin
- Causes an allergic reaction
When the skin is irritated, a person develops irritant contact dermatitis. Anyone can develop this type of contact dermatitis. It happens when something damages the outer layers of skin.
Almost any chemical, including water, can damage the skin with enough contact. Toxic substances like fiberglass and turpentine quickly damage the skin. Many people develop irritant contact dermatitis when they work with hair dyes, solvents, oils, paints, varnishes, foods, or metalworking fluids.
An allergic reaction causes allergic contact dermatitis. People develop allergic reactions to many substances. Some of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis are:
- Poison ivy
- Nickel (used in cell phones, jewelry, eyeglass frames, zippers, belt buckles)
- Nail cosmetics: Nail polish, adhesives
- Fragrances
- Latex
- Cement
Many people touch a substance for years before an allergy develops.
Sometimes a trigger is needed for an allergic reaction to occur. Allergic contact dermatitis may only occur when the skin:
- Sweats
- Has ultraviolet rays (sun, tanning bed) hit it
More than 3,600 substances can cause allergic contact dermatitis. These substances include preservatives in cosmetics, antibiotics applied to the skin, animal dander, dyes in clothing and shoes, and rubber.
With thousands of causes, successfully treating this skin condition can take a bit of detective work. Dermatologists frequently treat this condition. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons to see a dermatologist.
To learn more about treatment, read Contact dermatitis: Diagnosis, treatment, and outcome.
Source: https://www.aad.org