Understanding Contact Dermatitis And What It Involves

With all of the different types of dermatitis that are out there, it can be hard to understand each and every one. But when you are told by a professional that you certainly have contact dermatitis, you need to make sure that you understand everything there is to know about this type of skin condition. This way, you can make sure that you are fully aware of how to treat the affected area and how to prevent it, if at all possible. By doing that, you will be giving yourself a chance of not having to deal with this rash all of the time.

First, we need to understand just what exactly contact dermatitis is, so that we can take care of the problem properly. As the name of the condition states, it is caused through contact, but not with another person. You cannot catch it from anyone and you cannot pass it on to anyone else if you are suffering from it. The contact that is meant is the contact between the skin and allergens or irritants. This is generally a rash that is localized to a particular area of the skin, which helps make treatment easier. The most common causes of contact dermatitis are soaps, cleaning products, poison ivy, poison oak, and detergents.

Symptoms And Treatment

A lot of times, people suffering from contact dermatitis will experience a red rash, which will appear within twenty four to forty eight hours after direct contact with an irritant. This can sometimes cause problems in trying to determine what exactly it was that caused the reaction in the first place. There may also be blisters in the affected area or sometimes even what would be considered hives. Probably the most irritating symptom of contact dermatitis is that of the skin being itchy or giving off a burning sensation. And most of the time, contact dermatitis and its symptoms affect the hands because it is the hands that come into the most contact with different things.

When it comes to treating contact dermatitis, you need to wash your hands right away after dealing with any irritant or allergen that you know can give you a reaction. You can try a cold compress to the affected area for about thirty minutes if some blistering comes about. Calamine lotion rubbed onto the skin and an oral antihistamine can help relieve the pain and irritation of itching. A doctor will need to be contacted if the contact dermatitis rash does not get better within three days. There may be prescription creams and lotions that can be given to help out.