Soap, cosmetics, nail polish, hair dyes, deodorant, or other personal care products Poison Ivy Bleach Nickel in jewelry and/or buckles Certain medical creams such as topical antibiotics Formaldehyde A recent tattoo and/or black henna Perfume Sunscreen Rubbing alcohol
Calamine lotion has also been shown to provide relief in cases of contact dermatitis. [4] X Trustworthy Source American Academy of Family Physicians Organization devoted to improving the health of patients, families, and communities Go to source
Also avoid other cosmetics and personal hygiene products that trigger your contact dermatitis. If you are looking to replace cosmetics that you have noticed irritate your dermatitis, look for ones with a label that says “hypoallergenic” as these are less likely to trigger contact dermatitis. You may also want to consider switching to organic skin products. Even if you have been using the same products for years, sometimes formulas can change and a new additive might be causing new symptoms.
Apply the compress for 15 to 30 minutes. If the contact dermatitis rash is widespread over your body (such as affecting both legs, both arms, or your trunk), one of the easiest solutions is to wear a wet piece of clothing. For instance, you may wear wet long johns with dry pants overtop, so that the moisture remains in contact with the affected areas of skin. The piece of clothing that you get wet will of course depend upon the area of your body that is affected. Change wet garments at least every eight hours. Use them as needed to soothe and ease symptoms.
Note that steroid creams are most effective when you cover the area of the rash after applying the cream. This ensures that the cream remains on the location of interest, and is able to have an effective medicinal effect. Examples of coverings you can use over top of the steroid cream include a plastic wrap, petroleum jelly, or a dressing such as Telfa.
These are not available over-the-counter, and must be prescribed by your physician. These are rarely given except for in very severe cases of contact dermatitis, as there is an FDA warning about a possible link between these immune-stimulating creams and ointments and certain types of cancer.
An example of an oral corticosteroid is Prednisone. [12] X Research source
You develop a fever Pus begins to ooze from your rash You develop fluid-filled blisters (as these may contain infectious material) Your skin becomes warm and red
Reddening of the skin Bumps on the skin (most often red in color) Dry, cracked, or scaly skin Swelling over the affected area Painful, tender skin over the affected area Sometimes a burning sensation of the skin over the affected area Sometimes blisters that may ooze fluid and subsequently crust over (in more severe cases)
Note that contact dermatitis often gets worse with time — that is, the more times you are exposed to the offending substance, the worse your rash/reaction will be. This is because it is an “adaptive immune response,” meaning that your immune system stores the “memory” of the triggering agent and reacts more aggressively each time you are exposed to the triggering agent.
