Irritant contact dermatitis

Irritant contact dermatitis usually happens after you come into contact with an irritant lots of times. But it can happen the first time you come into contact with an irritant.

Common irritants include detergents and chemicals. Others are having your skin wet for too long or injured by friction. It is common in people with certain jobs, for example:

• hairdressers
• cleaners
• healthcare workers
• caterers.

If you have atopic eczema or had it in childhood, you are more likely to get irritant contact dermatitis.

Irritant contact dermatitis can cause:

• a red, itchy rash
• dry, cracked and scaly skin
• bumps and blisters
• swelling, burning and tenderness.

Contact your healthcare provider if your skin:

• becomes infected, such as pus from your blisters
• itches constantly
• does not stop being red, sore or swollen.

Your healthcare provider can usually diagnose allergic contact dermatitis by the appearance of your skin. They will ask you questions about your symptoms, including:

• when your symptoms first appeared
• what you were in contact with
• what made the symptoms worse.

They will try to identify the irritant with your help.

If the irritant is obvious you will not need any tests. If it is not obvious what the irritant is, you might be referred to see a dermatologist (skin doctor) for patch testing. 

Patch tests — DermNet (external link)

These tests will also check to see if allergic contact dermatitis is causing the problem.

Allergic contact dermatitis (internal link)

To manage your your dermatitis and stop it getting worse you should:

• Avoid contact with the irritant where possible.
• Wear something to protect your skin, for example, gloves. 
• Use moisturisers (emollients) on your skin. These moisturise your skin to help rehydrate it and provide a barrier that helps your skin be less irritated. Moisturisers should be colour and fragrance free.
• Avoid soap because it dries out your skin and makes it more sensitive. Use a soap substitute such as an aqueous cream. You can get this from a pharmacy or on prescription from your healthcare provider. 
• Apply anti-inflammatory steroid creams, if advised by your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Ask your pharmacist for advice on what cream is best for you. 

The best way to prevent irritant contact dermatitis is to avoid known irritants.

If you cannot avoid known irritants:

• wear protective clothing, especially gloves, when handling
• use barrier creams or gels to protect your skin
• choose fragrance-free moisturisers
• use fragrance-free and colour-free soaps and body washes
• wash your hands as soon as possible.

If your contact dermatitis is related to your work, your healthcare provider may be able to start an ACC claim for you. ACC can help you and your employer find ways to look after your skin at work.