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[A455]Allergic Contact Dermatitis Pictures

by Cdmohatta, Cdm

The Clinical Look:
The allergy may not be only confined to the place of contact. If you handle a material with your hands and then touch your eyelids, your eyelids will also develop allergic reaction. Unless the dermatitis is severe, it is confined to the area of contact. The skin may become red, itchy and blistered. With repeated allergic reactions, skin deteriorates further and becomes thick and cracked.

Common Allergens:
Common allergens include nickel, poison ivy, some makeup preparations, latex, hair dye, antibiotics such as neomycin, etc. You may find out if you are allergic to any substance with a patch test. By applying the suspected allergen to a small spot for few days and watching the reaction of the skin will indicate the allergy causing potential of that material. Your doctor will guide you more about how to conduct this test. Some examples are - a jewelery piece containing nickel, nickel straps, latex gloves, reaction to permanent hair dye, reaction to topical antibiotic such as neomycin, etc. If the allergy arises, after the skin that had come in contact with the allergen is exposed to sunlight, it is called photo allergy. In this case, the other contact sites will not develop allergy, but only those parts that get exposed to sunlight.

Treatment:
The first need is to avoid contact with allergens. In case of dermatitis developing, it may be treated with topical antibiotics, steroids, or immuno-modulators. Systematic medicines such as antihistamines, steroids, antibiotics, may be used depending upon the severity of the reaction. Your doctor is the best person to prescribe treatment.

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.

The skin infection is brought about by the effects on the skin of certain irritants.

There are basically four kinds or classifications of contact dermatitis that are usually diagnosed by doctors and dermatologists. These are irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), photocontact dermatitis (PCD) and contact urticaria.

Those types or classification of contact dermatitis can be hardly identified and distinguished by ordinary people, but the nature and cause of the skin infection can be determined through them.

A trivial fact about contact dermatitis is that in the United States, most recorded and diagnosed cases occur more in adults than children and the elderly.

Causes of contact dermatitis

Various allergens or allergy-causing substances can be cited for the onset of contact dermatitis. But reported cases of such skin infection points out to several factors or things that trigger the reaction.

The most common sources of contact dermatitis allergens are soaps and perfumes. It is because the use of such substances is somehow inevitable that make the problem hard to contain.

Contact dermatitis can also be caused by your skin's reaction to drool, to detergents, to several allergy-causing foods and to lotions especially those with harsh ingredients.

Some plants are also identified to produce enzymes that may lead to the onset of contact dermatitis. Among these plants are poison ivy.

There are also about 3,000 chemicals that are identified to cause contact dermatitis. Among them are those that are based on common metals like mercury, chrome and nickel.

Some cosmetics can also irritate the skin and trigger the appearance of contact dermatitis manifestation in the skin. Permanent hair dyes, eye shadows, lipstick, clothing dyes, sunscreens and nail polishes are the identified cosmetic lines that cause such skin infection.

Manifestations of contact dermatitis

Several symptoms are pointed to the onset of contact dermatitis. However, it should be noted that for different individuals, the symptoms may vary. To be sure, further advice and check up from a dermatologist should be obtained.

Contact dermatitis occurs when there is swelling or mild redness in the skin. The appearance of the infected spot could clearly not be mistaken for common insect bites.

There is also blistering in the affected skin area, as well as itching. It is surely contact dermatitis when there is a temporary thickening or scaling in the infected skin portion.

Treatment and prevention

To treat contact dermatitis, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology advises people diagnosed that have the skin infection to do the following simple, yet effective remedies.

- Wash thoroughly the infected skin part with soap and ample water. Immediately do this at the initial appearance of symptoms.

- Throw away or carefully wash all clothing and objects that have come into contact or touched plants or chemicals that contain contact dermatitis allergens.

- Relieve and soothe skin inflammation or the infected part with a cold compress especially if the blisters break or crack.

- If the symptoms show severity, do not hesitate to consult a physician or dermatologist.

Baths using lukewarm water are also known to help soothe and rapidly control the skin infection.

As for the prevention, the best way is to avoid all identified allergens.

Article Source : Treatments For Lyme Disease

About Author

Both Cdmohatta & Charlene J. Nuble are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Cdmohatta has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marriage, Careers and Job Hunting and Gardening. The author CD Mohatta writes on , diseases, treatments & STDs for doctorgoodskin. He also writes for. Cdmohatta's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.

Charlene J. Nuble has sinced written about articles on various topics from Disease & illness, Asthma and Yeast Infection. Charlene J. Nuble 2006. For answers to All your frequently asked questions about contact dermatitis, please go to: