Irritating contact dermatitis is a form of contact dermatitis caused by chemicals and physical effects.
Description
Chemical irritant contact dermatitis can have both acute and chronic forms, which are respectively caused by strong and weak irritants. Matthias and Maybach in 1978 proposed the following definition. The mechanism of exposure varies. Detergents, surfactants, excess pH substances and organic solvents directly affect the barrier properties of the epidermis, washing away the fat emulsion, dissolving skin lipids, damaging epithelial cells and increasing fluid loss through the skin due to damage to the mechanism of water transfer through the stratum corneum and damaging DNA, which causes thinning of the layer. Concentrated stimuli can cause an acute effect, but it is not as common as the cumulative chronic effect of exposure to irritants whose detrimental effects increase with subsequent doses.
Often chemical alkalis are strong alkalis present in wastewater purifiers and soaps with alkali residues. Many other chemicals can also cause contact dermatitis.
Physical irritating contact dermatitis has been less studied due to a variety of exposure mechanisms and a lack of diagnostic tests.
A complete medical history and a negative patch test are required to make a correct diagnosis. The simplest form of physical irritating contact dermatitis is obtained from prolonged friction, although the variety of irritants is much wider. Examples include friction against paper, exposure to glass wool and scratching paper.