Eczema.com

Contact dermatitis is a skin condition that is often assumed under the heading of eczema. It describes a reaction of the skin to some environmental factor. The cause may be an allergic reaction or an irritant reaction.

Symptoms

Contact dermatitis is confined to the area of contact and its immediate surroundings. It is one of the easiest forms of eczema to identify, because it appears within minutes of contact. That makes it easy to know what caused the irritation. Just as it occurs quickly, contact dermatitis usually goes away quickly, too—often within hours. Sometimes, however, the condition takes days or weeks before it passes. It appears as a red area, and usually occurs with itching, burning, blisters, and rashes.

Causes

Nearly everyone will experience contact dermatitis if they come in contact with poison oak, poison ivy, or poison sumac. Other people experience contact dermatitis if they come into contact with any variety of elements, ranging from nickel, to rubber, to certain shampoos or soaps. In some rare cases, contact dermatitis can be brought about by sunlight (phototoxic dermatitis)

Treatment

The most common types of treatment are simple self-care remedies that can be done at home. Using a cold wet compress, applying moisturizing or relief lotion, taking Benadryl, and applying hydrocortisone or zinc oxide are common and effective ways to treat contact dermatitis.

Complications

Serious forms of contact dermatitis are those that persist for days, attended by severe itching, pain or other irritation. Medical professionals using corticosteroids or antihistamines must usually treat these severe cases of contact dermatitis.