Irritant contact dermatitis- What Is It?

Think of irritant contact dermatitis, as how touching any acid burns your skin. Any material that irritates your skin and creates redness, itching, blisters, etc. is said to cause irritant contact dermatitis. Strong chemicals are not the only causes of irritant contact dermatitis. Many people develop it after touching many innocent looking materials. It all depends upon the length of contact, the temperature, your skin reaction, your skin type, etc. If your skin is very dry, you will get this condition faster.

Irritant contact dermatitis is different than allergic contact dermatitis. In allergic contact dermatitis, a material to which you are allergic causes the inflammation. In irritant contact dermatitis, the material irritates your skin and hurts you before your skin repairs itself, thus causing the dermatitis.

Irritant contact dermatitis> Common Causes

Irritant contact dermatitis is normally confined to the site of contact. It is unlike allergic contact dermatitis, which may spread to a wider area. But many times, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the two types of dermatitis.

Examples of common irritant contact dermatitis may include:

1) Housewives eczema, which is caused by daily contact with water, detergents and other household cleaning materials,
2) Dermatitis forming under rings wore on fingers, because of accumulation of the irritant such as soap below the rings,
3) Cosmetics that may cause irritation, etc.

Common Irritants>

Common irritants may include even water. Some people get dermatitis if they are in contact with water for a long time. Other common irritants are solvents, salts, alkalis, acids, detergents, etc. These irritants react with the skin cells and destroy them. They dissolve the skin oil, penetrate the skin and damage it. In extreme cases, the wound may be a big one. Most of the acids and alkalis cause burns, so be careful when you use them.

Treatment:

If you can find out about the irritant which causes dermatitis, keep away from it. In case of sudden contact with strong irritants such as acids or alkalis, flush the area with copious amount of water and see a doctor as soon as possible. This kind of dermatitis is commonly treated using topical antibiotics or steroids. Please consult your doctor about that.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

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