Contact Dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is a common skin condition. It occurs when your skin comes into contact with an irritating substance such as cosmetics, metals, or latex.
What is a contact dermatitis?
Contact dermatitis is a skin reaction that happens when you come into direct contact with a substance that causes irritation. This can include cosmetics, metals, scents, and latex, among many others. It’s a type of eczema (a condition that makes your skin dry and irritated) and can also cause urticaria (hives), other rashes, swelling, and itching.
Contact dermatitis isn’t usually serious, and it tends to clear up once you stop coming into contact with the substance that’s causing it. In rare cases, the reaction can be more severe or become infected and may need medical treatment.
The condition is common and thought to affect around 20% of the population. Our specialist dermatologists and allergists see patients with contact allergies in our Skin Health centre, where they offer the most advanced care and treatment.
More information
The symptoms of contact dermatitis usually show up on the area of your body that came in direct contact with the substance. This may happen within minutes or hours, and the symptoms can last up to 4 weeks.
While the exact symptoms vary from person to person and depend on the substance you’ve reacted to, you may experience:
a rash
itchy skin
dry skin
cracked skin
scaly skin
leathery patches of skin
darker patches of skin
crusty patches of skin
bumps
blisters
swelling
burning
stinging
redness
Your skin can become infected after an episode of contact dermatitis. If you have an infection, you may notice:
worsening symptoms
fever
feeling shivery
difficulty breathing
discharge or pus oozing from your skin
increased pain
If you experience any symptoms of infection, it’s important to see a consultant to have your skin checked so you can start treatment as soon as possible.
Many substances can cause contact dermatitis, but there are 2 common types and causes of the condition.
Irritant contact dermatitis
Irritant contact dermatitis is a type of contact dermatitis that’s caused by friction or environmental factors such as cold, over-exposure to water, or chemicals such as acids, alkalis, detergents and solvents. It accounts for around 80% of cases of contact dermatitis.
Allergic contact dermatitis
Allergic contact dermatitis accounts for around 20% of cases and is a reaction from your immune system in response to the substance. It can be caused by a variety of toxic or non-toxic substances such as antibiotics, metals, rubber, lotions, and dyes.
You may also develop contact dermatitis in response to certain proteins from animals, plants, or foods, or cosmetics such as perfumes, make-up, and hair products.
Risk factors
You may be more at risk of developing contact dermatitis if you:
have atopic eczema
have red hair and fair skin
your work or hobby involves chemicals and other irritants — the most common occupations affected are beauticians, cooks, florists, hairdressers, metalworking machine operatives, and dental practitioners
wear jewellery
use cosmetic products
have a compromised immune system
You’ll see your consultant for an initial consultation. During this appointment, your consultant will ask you about your medical history, symptoms, and which substances you’ve recently come into contact with. They’ll conduct a physical examination of the affected areas of your skin. To help them accurately identify which substance has caused your contact dermatitis, they may also need to do other tests. This could include a patch test where small amounts of the substance are applied to your skin to see how your skin reacts.
Once your consultant has identified exactly what’s causing your reaction, they’ll recommend the most appropriate and effective treatment for you.
Usually, you can prevent further symptoms of contact dermatitis by avoiding coming into contact with the substance you’re allergic to.
If you have a mild case of contact dermatitis and stop coming into contact with the substance that’s causing it, you shouldn’t experience any further issues. However, if your reaction is more severe or your skin becomes infected, you’ll need to seek further medical help to clear the infection.
Most cases of contact dermatitis are usually treated with emollients (moisturisers), which you rub on your skin to prevent it from becoming dry and irritated. However, your treatment options will depend on what’s causing your symptoms and how severe they are.
Irritant contact dermatitis treatment
Usually, your consultant will advise you to avoid any products that cause irritation and to remove any contacted irritants from your skin with mild soap and water. They may also recommend petroleum jelly and anti-itch treatments such as calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to soothe your skin.
Allergic contact dermatitis treatment
Mild reactions associated with allergic contact dermatitis are often treated with antihistamine medication, corticosteroids, or soothing lotions.
Skin infection treatment
If your skin has become infected as a result of contact dermatitis, your consultant will likely prescribe you antibiotics.
At Welbeck, our dermatologists and allergists are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.
With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.
All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.
Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.
Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.
Get in touch today to book an appointment.
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Frequently asked questions
The symptoms of dermatitis can look similar to another skin condition called psoriasis. But if you have psoriasis, the flakes of your skin will look like larger scales with thicker edges.
While contact dermatitis is caused by the substance you come into contact with, studies have found that stress can exacerbate your symptoms.
If you have itchy skin from contact dermatitis, avoid scratching it. Scratching your skin can break it and lead to infection.
You can have a reaction to any colour of hair dye, but darker hair dyes are more likely to cause contact dermatitis. This is because they contain larger amounts of a chemical called paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which is known to irritate skin.