What is Contact Dermatitis?
Dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin. Contact dermatitis is a localized rash or irritation of the skin caused by contact with a foreign substance.
Substances that cause contact dermatitis in many people include "poisonous" plants such as poison ivy, certain foods, some metals, cleaning solutions, detergents, cosmetics, perfumes, industrial chemicals, atex rubber and more.
There are 2 types of contact dermatitis: allergic and irritant.
Allergic Contact Dermatitis
Like all allergic reactions, allergic contact dermatitis results when the immune system overreacts to a foreign substance, and the symptom of this overreaction is an itchy rash.
In allergic contact dermatitis you have a skin reaction to something that has touched your skin at that site. Unlike most allergic reactions, the trigger is external rather than internal. Your initial exposure does not cause a rash. However, it sensitizes your skin so that you will react to the next exposure. If you seem to react the first time you are exposed to an agent, you probably were exposed before without knowing.
Irritant contact dermatitis
This type of rash results from coming in contact with a substance that directly damages your skin. The longer the substance remains on the skin, the more severe the reaction. Many chemicals, including industrial cleaning products and solvents, can cause this condition.
Symptoms
Telling allergic contact dermatitis apart from irritant contact dermatitis can be very difficult. Allergic dermatitis is usually confined to the area where the trigger actually touched the skin, whereas irritant dermatitis may be more widespread on the skin.
A red rash is the usual reaction. It appears immediately in irritant contact dermatitis, but sometimes in allergic contact dermatitis the rash does not appear for 1-2 days after the exposure.
Your skin may blister, or you may get a raised red rash, called hives, sometimes in a pattern that points to the offending agent. Your skin will itch and perhaps burn.
Irritant contact dermatitis tends to be more painful than itchy and often affects the hands, which have been exposed by resting in or dipping into a container (sink, pail, tub) containing the irritant.
Once a reaction starts, it may take as long as 4 weeks to resolve completely.
When to Seek Medical Care
If your rash does not improve or continues to spread after a couple of days of self-care, call us for an appointment.
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