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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffPreventing contact dermatitis means avoiding coming into contact with those substances such as poison ivy or harsh soaps that may cause it. Prevention strategies include:
- Rinse your skin with water and use a mild soap if you come in contact with a substance. Prompt washing can remove many of the irritants or allergens from your skin. Be sure to rinse the soap completely off your body.
- Wear cotton or plastic gloves when doing housework to avoid contact with cleaners or solutions.
- If on the job, wear protective clothing or gloves to shield your skin against harmful agents.
- Apply a barrier cream or gel to your skin to provide a protective layer. Also, use a moisturizer to restore the outermost layer of skin and to prevent the evaporation of moisture.
- Use a mild, unscented laundry detergent when washing clothes, towels and bedding. Try using the extra rinse cycle on your washing machine.
References
- Weston WL, et al. Overview of dermatitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 2, 2009.
- Cohen DE, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2966976. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Habif TP. Contact dermatitis and patch testing. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130085313-3/0/1195/18.html?tocnode=51440089&fromURL=18.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50006-6_242. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Wetter DA, et al. Patch test results from the Mayo Clinic Contact Dermatitis Group, 1998-2000. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2005;53:416.
- Kaplan LA. Exposure to radiation from the sun. In: Auerbach PS. Wilderness Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130085313-5/0/1483/133.html?tocnode=54234968&fromURL=133.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03228-5..50019-7_767. Accessed April 6, 2009.
