Contact dermatitis?

what is it and how can i treat it? i have it on my hands i put oilatum cream on it daily and my nurse said it was contact dermatitis but not wanting to sound daft i didnt ask about it properly and just agreed with her! she said its coz am young and have sensitive skin. im 21yrs old. any info would be great. thanx

Dermatitis literally means "skin swelling." That describes how your skin reacts when you "contact" irritating substances. (Thus, you have "contact dermatitis" -- not something caused from poor nutrition or health issue.) You could be allergic to cleaning compounds, extremely cold temperatures, jewelry, nail polish, hand creams, soap, etc. I found I was allergic to latex gloves! I didn't figure it out for two years, and my hands were itchy and irritated the whole time. When I stopped wearing the gloves, the dermatitis went away. In the meantime, try cortisone cream, which you can get without a prescription. It gives immediate relief from itching. There's also a great lotion that I swear by... it's called Amlactyn (or Amlactin). Many diabetics use it for their skin. Good luck!

Totally agree!! Twice now I've used a soap that gave me dermatitis around the eyes. OTC hydrocortosone cream is the only thing that works, along with a round of Benedryl by mouth. Report It

Same thing my brother has, in his case it was bought on by handling hazardous chemicals. Nowadys he has to be very careful when handling anything containing colourings, fragrances etc so uses only 'pure' soap.

Wear nickel free jewelry,ask doc for a prescription for bethamethasone(Valisone) It works in a couple of days.Use soaps and lotions for sensitive skin.You are probably allergic to certain things