RT Book, Section
A1 Jacob, Sharon E.
A2 Baumann, Leslie
A2 Saghari, Sogol
A2 Weisberg, Edmund
SR Print(0)
ID 1172446660
T1 Contact Dermatitis (Type 4 Sensitive Skin)
T2 Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice, 2e
YR 2009
FD 2009
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071490627
LK dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1172446660
RD 2024/04/24
AB Contact  dermatitis  is  an  umbrella  expression  for  a  group  of  dermatoses  that  are  initiated  by  the  pivotal  event  of  the  epidermis  coming  into  contact  with  a  triggering  chemical.  For  practical  purposes,  there  are  three  main  clinical  forms:  (1)  irritant  contact  dermatitis  (ICD);  (2)  contact  urticaria  (CU);  and  (3)  allergic  contact  dermatitis  (ACD).  Approximately  80%  of  contact  dermatitis  cases  are  identified  as  ICD,  because  ICD  represents  a  nonspecific  inflammatory  response  to  a  chemical  when  the  skin  barrier  function  is  impaired.  Wet  work  (immersing  in  detergents,  water,  or  other  activities  that  require  frequent  hand  washing)  predisposes  an  individual  to  these  irritant-type  reactions  because  of  disruptions  in  skin  barrier  function  (see  Chapter  11).  Irritancy  can  also  occur  after  chronic  exposure  to  an  environment  with  low  humidity,1  or  chronic  exposure  to  saliva  (lip  smacking),  urine,  or  feces.  Another  example  of  an  inducible  ICD  is  epidermal  keratinocyte  damage  following  a  cosmetic  peel  (Fig.  18-1).