Definitie voor contact dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is a term for a skin reaction resulting from exposure to allergens or irritants. Phototoxic dermatitis occurs when the allergen or irritant is activated by sunlight.

Only the superficial regions of the skin are affected in contact dermatitis. Inflammation of the affected tissue is present in the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin) and the outer dermis (the layer beneath the epidermis) (ESCD 2006). Unlike contact urticaria in which a rash appears within minutes of exposure and fades away within minutes to hours, contact dermatitis takes days to fade away and then only if the skin no longer comes in contact with the allergen or irritant. Chronic contact dermatitis can develop where the removal of the offending agent no longer provides expected relief. In North America, the most common allergic contact dermatitis is caused by poison ivy. Common causes of irritant contact dermatitis are harsh (highly alkaline) soaps, detergents, and cleaning products. less