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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffThe cause of contact dermatitis is direct contact with one of many irritants or allergens. These include:
- Strong detergents or soaps
- Skin cleaning products
- Cosmetics or makeup
- Deodorant
- Clothing or shoes
- Household cleaning products
- Formaldehyde and other chemicals
- Rubber or latex
- Metals, such as nickel
- Jewelry
- Perfume or fragrances
- Weeds and plants, such as poison ivy or poison oak
- Medicinal lotions, such as antihistamines, antibiotics or antiseptics
Some substances are both allergens and irritants. Examples include ingredients in soaps, detergents and some cosmetics.
It takes a greater exposure to an irritant over a longer time to cause dermatitis than it takes for an allergen. If you're sensitized to an allergen, just brief exposure to a small amount can cause contact dermatitis. If re-exposure to a substance always results in dermatitis, then this substance is more likely an allergen than an irritant. The allergen might be something that you had been in contact with for years without trouble until now. Once an allergy has developed to a specific substance, however, it remains for life.
Some substances cause dermatitis only when they contact skin exposed to sunlight (photocontact dermatitis). Typical examples include shaving lotion, sunscreens, ointments containing sulfa drugs, some perfumes and coal tar products. Other causes of contact dermatitis may be airborne, such as ragweed pollen and insecticide spray.
Occupational contact dermatitis occurs when a person is exposed to allergens or irritants on the job. Frequent exposure to water, friction, chemicals, fuels, dyes, cleaning agents, industrial solvents or dust (for example, cement dust, sawdust or paper dust) can lead to contact dermatitis.
- Weston WL, et al. Overview of dermatitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 2, 2009.
- Cohen DE, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2966976. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Habif TP. Contact dermatitis and patch testing. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130085313-3/0/1195/18.html?tocnode=51440089&fromURL=18.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50006-6_242. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Wetter DA, et al. Patch test results from the Mayo Clinic Contact Dermatitis Group, 1998-2000. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2005;53:416.
- Kaplan LA. Exposure to radiation from the sun. In: Auerbach PS. Wilderness Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130085313-5/0/1483/133.html?tocnode=54234968&fromURL=133.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03228-5..50019-7_767. Accessed April 6, 2009.
