Allergic contact eczema

All­er­gic cont­act ecze­ma is an inflamm­a­ti­on of the skin that occurs after cont­act with a sub­s­tance to which the immu­ne sys­tem has been sen­si­ti­sed. Unli­ke an imme­dia­te aller­gy, the reac­tion appears only twel­ve to seven­ty-two hours after contact.

Cau­ses

The most com­mon trig­gers include nickel and other metals, fra­gran­ces, pre­ser­va­ti­ves, hair dyes, rub­ber ingre­di­ents and cer­tain plants. Sen­si­ti­sa­ti­on deve­lo­ps during an ear­lier cont­act and per­sists for life. Occu­pa­tio­nal­ly affec­ted groups include care, clea­ning and con­s­truc­tion workers as well as hairdressers.

Sym­ptoms

Typi­cal are red­ness, blis­ters, wee­ping and inten­se itching, initi­al­ly exact­ly at the site of cont­act. With repea­ted expo­sure the skin beco­mes dry, sca­ly and fis­su­red, and the reac­tion may extend bey­ond the ori­gi­nal area. The shape of the red­ness often points to the trigger.

Tre­at­ment

It is cru­cial to iden­ti­fy the trig­ger and avo­id it con­sis­t­ent­ly; patch test­ing helps with this. In the acu­te pha­se, anti-inflamm­a­to­ry creams reli­e­ve sym­ptoms, accom­pa­nied by emol­li­ent basic care to repair the skin bar­ri­er. In the work­place, skin pro­tec­tion mea­su­res and sui­ta­ble gloves are central.

Rela­ted tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Cont­act all­er­gies & hay fever