How is allergic contact dermatitis diagnosed and treated?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Le Thi Thu Hang - Dermatologist, Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital. The doctor has over 12 years of experience in the field of dermatology.
Is it difficult to treat allergic contact dermatitis? To treat contact dermatitis, it is necessary to first diagnose to determine the exact cause of the disease, because this is a disease that is easily acquired and has many causes. Treatment of contact dermatitis depends on the severity and cause of the disease.

1. Diagnosis of contact dermatitis

Experts have identified more than 3,700 causes of allergic contact dermatitis in humans. Therefore, to treat contact dermatitis, it is necessary to accurately diagnose the cause of the disease. Diagnostic measures include:
Diagnosis of contact dermatitis is based on patient inquiry and clinical examination; Your doctor may also test your skin for allergies by exposing your skin to a small amount of a substance that can irritate your skin and watching for the rash for about 1 to 2 days. If the skin has an allergic reaction, this will be the basis for the doctor to determine the cause and have a treatment method for contact dermatitis. After isolating the cause of the disease and the symptoms improve, the diagnosis is confirmed; For insect contact dermatitis, the diagnosis is mainly based on clinical symptoms, including: does the disease appear suddenly, the basic lesions on the skin are red macules with blisters, Red macules distributed in bands, spots and often in open areas, with burning, itching, pain at the contact site.

2. How to treat allergic contact dermatitis?

To treat allergic contact dermatitis, it is first necessary to avoid contact with the causative factor. In case of suspected cosmetic dermatitis, discontinue use. Do not scratch the affected skin area. Normally, the damaged skin will itch and cause you to scratch, however, scratching can make the skin more irritated or even cause an infection, leading to the need for antibiotics in the treatment of further dermatitis. contact ; To clear the irritants, wash the skin with clean water. In addition, the symptoms of the rash can be soothed by applying a cold washcloth. Or use solutions with soothing and antiseptic effects such as Jarish solution, lake, neopred lake; Another treatment for contact dermatitis is to use a cream containing hydrocortisone for mild cases. In severe cases, the doctor may prescribe a stronger corticosteroid cream; For dry lesions can apply ointment containing corticosteroids, or antibiotic cream to prevent infection such as Fucidin; To relieve symptoms of itching, burning and allergic reactions, oral antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, certirizine, loratadine can be used. Most cases of contact dermatitis will go away on their own and you do not need to worry. too much. However, if there is a rash near the eyes or mouth, or a large area of ​​skin damage, or symptoms do not improve with home treatment, the patient needs to see a dermatologist for proper examination and treatment. method.

3. Prevention of contact dermatitis

In addition to treating contact dermatitis, to prevent contact dermatitis symptoms, first pay attention to avoiding contact with potentially irritating substances, by:
Buy products that are labeled as hypoallergenic or odorless; When changing to another cosmetic product, it is necessary to test it on a small area of ​​skin, use it at intervals (every day) before applying it to the whole face and apply it daily. Do not use latex gloves if you are allergic to latex, use vinyl gloves instead if gloves are required to protect the skin. Or you can also apply waterproof oil before putting on rubber gloves to prevent allergies; Should wear long clothes when walking in green places in case of contact with insects or substances secreted by insects that cause skin irritation; Apply or apply a moisturizer, or cream that prevents the skin from drying out.

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