Contact Dermatitis

What is contact dermatitis?

Contact dermatitis is a type of skin condition that happens when your skin touches something that irritates it or that you're allergic to. It's part of a group of skin problems called eczema.

The good news is that contact dermatitis usually gets better once you find out what's causing it and stop touching that thing.

What does it look like?

When you have contact dermatitis, your skin becomes:

• Itchy
• Dry and cracked
• Blistered sometimes

The colour changes depend on your skin tone:

• Lighter skin turns red
• Darker skin becomes dark brown, purple or grey

This usually happens within a few hours or days after touching the problem substance. It can affect any part of your body, but your hands and face are most common places.

What causes it?

There are two main causes:

Irritants - substances that directly damage your skin, like:

• Soap and washing-up liquid
• Cleaning products
• Too much contact with water

Allergens - substances your body's defence system reacts badly to, like:

• Certain cosmetics or perfumes
• Metals like nickel (found in jewellery, belt buckles, phone cases)
• Some raw fruits and vegetables

When to get help

See a pharmacist if:

• Your skin problem is bothering you
• You need advice on moisturisers to keep your skin from getting dry

Speak to your GP if:

• Your symptoms keep coming back
• Your symptoms are severe
• The problem won't go away
• You can't work out what's causing it

Your GP might send you to a skin specialist (dermatologist) for more tests if needed.

How is it treated?

The best treatment is avoiding whatever is causing your skin reaction. But doctors can also help with:

• Moisturisers - these keep your skin soft and protected
• Steroid creams - these reduce redness and itching when symptoms are bad
• Steroid tablets - only used in rare cases when a large area of skin is affected

How to prevent it

Avoid the cause - this is the most important step

If you can't avoid it completely:

• Wash your skin with warm water and moisturiser straight after contact
• Wear gloves to protect your hands (take them off regularly so your hands don't get sweaty)
• Wear cotton gloves under rubber gloves if rubber irritates you too
• Check ingredient lists on soaps, make-up and other products
• Use lots of moisturiser regularly to protect your skin
• Try moisturising soap instead of regular soap

Other types of eczema

Contact dermatitis is just one type of eczema. Others include:

• Atopic eczema (runs in families, linked to asthma and hay fever)
• Discoid eczema (round patches on skin)
• Varicose eczema (affects lower legs due to blood flow problems)

Remember, if you're worried about any skin changes or if your symptoms aren't getting better, speak to your GP for proper advice.

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Based on NHS.uk guidance. Written by Dr Krishnan Pasupathi, NHS GP.