The main symptoms are redness, soreness and itching of the affected skin. If it’s a strong irritant that’s causing the problem, you’ll feel a burning sensation straight away too. Lighter skin can become red, and darker skin can become dark brown, purple or grey. Symptoms can affect any part of the body but most commonly the hands and face. This reaction usually occurs within a few hours or days of exposure to an irritant or allergen.

If it’s an allergen that’s the trigger, your skin may be scaly as well as red and sore. You’ll often notice patches of inflammation in specific places – maybe where your jeans button or bra strap touch your skin. Symptoms can take a while to develop - it can be many hours or even days after coming into contact with an allergen that you notice a problem with your skin.

However, some people experience severe and long-lasting symptoms, which may affect their quality of life. Depending on the substance that caused the reaction, you may also experience some additional symptoms. For example, allergens may cause affected areas of the skin to itch and irritants may cause a burning or stinging sensation.

Occasionally, areas of skin affected by contact dermatitis can become infected. Signs of an infection can include:

• Your existing symptoms getting rapidly worse
• Discharge from your skin
• Increasing pain
• Feeling generally unwell
• Feeling hot or shivery

Seek immediate medical advice if you think your skin may have become infected, as you may need to take antibiotics. If your contact dermatitis becomes infected, your symptoms might suddenly worsen and become more painful. You may also develop a fever, generally feel unwell, and notice discharge from the skin.

Irritant Contact Dermatitis

Irritant contact dermatitis may be caused by frequent exposure to a weak irritant, such as soap or detergent. It may also develop if you've been in contact with a stronger irritant for a short while. You're at an increased risk of irritant contact dermatitis if you also have atopic eczema, which is the most common form of eczema.

Common irritants include:

• Soaps and detergents
• Antiseptics and antibacterials
• Perfumes and preservatives in toiletries or cosmetics
• Solvents
• Oils used in machines
• Disinfectants
• Acids and alkalis
• Cement
• Powders, dust and soil

If you already have irritant contact dermatitis symptoms, they can be made worse by heat, cold, friction (rubbing against the irritant) and low humidity (dry air).

You may be more at risk of irritant contact dermatitis if you work with irritants as part of your job, or if your job involves a lot of wet work. If you develop the condition because of a substance you work with, it may be referred to as occupational irritant dermatitis.

This type of dermatitis is more common in certain occupations, including:

• Agricultural workers
• Beauticians and hairdressers
• Chemical workers
• Cleaners
• Construction workers
• Cooks and caterers
• Metal and electronics workers
• Health and social care workers
• Machine operators
• Mechanics and vehicle assemblers

Allergic Contact Dermatitis

The first time you come into contact with an allergen, your body becomes sensitised to it, but does not react to it. It's only when you're exposed to the substance again that your immune system reacts and causes the skin to become red and itchy.

Allergens that commonly cause allergic contact dermatitis include:

• Cosmetic ingredients – such as preservatives, fragrances
• Metals – such as nickel or cobalt in jewellery
• Some topical medicines – including topical corticosteroids
• Rubber – including latex
• Textiles – particularly the dyes and resins that are contained in them
• Strong glues – such as epoxy resin adhesives
• Some plants– such as chrysanthemums, sunflowers

Your skin symptoms can be made worse if you rub at your skin, or if it is subsequently exposed to an environment that is very hot, cold or dry.

The best way to prevent contact dermatitis is to avoid contact with whatever’s causing the problem. You may need to do this for 8-12 weeks before there’s any significant improvement.

If you can’t avoid the trigger, clean your skin as soon as possible afterwards. Use gloves to protect your hands – but be aware that sweating can worsen symptoms, so take them off when you can.

You should use emollients (moisturisers) regularly and in liberal amounts. They help repair the damaged skin and lock moisture back in again. Scratching makes your skin more inflamed so avoid it if at all possible.

If you can successfully avoid the irritants or allergens that trigger your symptoms, your skin will eventually clear up.

However, sometimes treatment with topical steroid can help manage flare up of the skin. They help relieve the symptoms of heal the skin. At Pharmacinta,
At Pharmacinta, we have the following treatment available to manage flare ups:

Topical Steroids -These anti-inflammatory treatments reduce redness, itchiness, dryness and swelling when applied to the affected area. They range from mildly potent to very potent. Depending on preference, these come in cream or ointment form. Since the ointment is more oil-based, it will take longer to be completely absorbed, meaning it’s great for eczema relief over longer periods. Betamethasone, Mometasone and Cloebtasol cream and ointment are available. We also have Betamethasone scalp application for scalp eczema.

Corticosteroids work by stopping skin cells from releasing chemicals that cause inflammation and also by constricting blood vessels in the skin. Topical corticosteroids can be effective but can cause severe side effects if applied to large areas of skin or overused. For this reason, topical corticosteroids are used for short periods and should be applied carefully (e.g. only apply a thin layer). People are often advised to use fingertip units when applying the cream.

Topical Steroid with Antibiotics - Some topical steroid medicines also contain an antibiotic and can be used to treat infected eczema. Examples of combined topical corticosteroids include Fucidin H and Fucibet.

The best way to prevent contact dermatitis is to avoid contact with the allergens or irritants that cause your symptoms.

If you cannot avoid contact, you can take steps to reduce the risk of the allergens or irritants causing symptoms, including:

• Cleaning your skin – if you come into contact with an allergen or irritant, rinse the affected skin with warm water and an emollient as soon as possible
• Using gloves to protect your hands – but take them off every now and again, as sweating can make any symptoms worse; you may find it useful to wear cotton gloves underneath rubber gloves if the rubber also irritates you
• Changing products that irritate your skin – check the ingredients on make-up or soap to make sure it does not contain any irritants or allergens; in some cases, you may need to contact the manufacturer or check online to get this information
• Applying emollients frequently and in large amounts – these keep your skin hydrated and help protect it from allergens and irritants; you could also use emollient soap substitutes rather than regular bar or liquid soaps, which can dry out your skin

If the substance causing your contact dermatitis can be identified and avoided, your symptoms should improve and may even clear up completely.

If the treatments prescribed by a GP are not successfully controlling your symptoms, they may refer you for assessment and treatment by a dermatologist.

Further treatments that may be available from a dermatologist include:

• Phototherapy – where the affected area of skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light to help improve its appearance
• Immunosuppressant therapy – medicines that reduce inflammation by suppressing your immune system
• Alitretinoin – capsules licensed for severe eczema affecting the hands
• Steroid Tablets - If you have a severe episode of contact dermatitis and it covers a large area of your skin, a doctor may prescribe corticosteroid tablets.

Some people may choose to use complementary therapies for contact dermatitis, such as food supplements or herbal remedies, but there is often a lack of evidence to show they are effective in treating the condition. If you are thinking about using complementary therapy, speak to a GP first to make sure the therapy is safe for you to use. You should continue to use any other treatments prescribed by a GP.

Frequently Asked Questions