Patient information sheet – What is dermatitis?
Dermatitis means inflammation of the skin caused by something touching the skin. It usually affects the hands.
Eczema is also a type of inflammation of the skin, but you are born with a tendency to develop this condition. It is often associated with asthma and hay fever, and tends to run in families.
Sometimes doctors use the words ‘dermatitis’ and ‘eczema’ to mean the same thing, which can be confusing.
What is Contact Dermatitis?
Contact dermatitis is a skin condition caused by something contacting the skin. Not surprisingly, in occupational cases of contact dermatitis, the most common area involved is the hands, although other areas may be affected, especially other exposed skin (arms, face, neck, legs), and also the feet. There are 3 main types of dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis and contact urticaria.
Types of contact dermatitis:
Managing hand eczema
Hand eczema may come and go by itself, no matter what treatment is used. In some people it may stay for longer periods. There is no way to stop a person from experiencing hand eczema, but there are many measures that can be taken to control it. No particular treatment helps all sufferers. No diets have been found to reliably help. Treatment is best viewed as a package. Understanding the aggravating factors in each particular case and avoiding them is very important.