Beauty and Skin Care Resources

If you have eczema, then you already know that controlling your triggers is a key to controlling your condition. Avoiding or limiting exposure to certain triggers will control many types of eczema. Your trigger may be easy to control in your home environment, but what happens at work? What if your job forces you to be exposed to your eczema trigger?

Occupational irritant contact dermatitis, a form of eczema, is triggered when you are exposed to an irritant in the work place. Contact dermatitis is commonly red, inflamed, and itchy. It is also painful in most cases. It flares up at the skin’s point of contact with the irritant. However, it can spread from this point depending on how severe your exposure was and how your immune system reacts.

Scientist have identified more than 3000 allergens and irritants that are known to cause eczema, but only 25 are these are to be blamed in most cases. Most people typically have more than one trigger, but they are able to limit their exposure and prevent outbreaks. However, occupational irritant contact dermatitis is typically the result of one irritant which you become increasingly sensitized to while at work.

As you work and are exposed to the irritant you will find that your eczema reaction occurs more frequently and more severely. When you are first exposed, you may not have a reaction. However, people who are prone to contact dermatitis are believed to have a weakness in their skin structure. Therefore, the irritant slowly exploits this weakness and begins degrading your skin. Your immune system recognizes this as an attack and releases chemicals into your system to counteract the damage being done by the irritant. Unfortunately, a side affect of this immune attack is eczema at the point of contact. The more you are exposed to the irritant, the more quickly and severely your immune system will react. This is called sensitization and it is why your eczema will become increasingly severe the more you are exposed to the irritant.

It is very likely that the occupational irritant is not one of the 25 common triggers. However, you should be able to identify your trigger without too much difficulty. This is especially so if you work around chemicals, hazardous materials, unusual metals, or if there is something that regularly touches that portion of your skin. For example, woodworkers typically have a reaction to certain varnishes. Maids and cleaning professionals may be irritated by cleaning products or by rubber gloves. Beauty professionals are often irritated by nail varnish.

If you are suffering from an occupational eczema your first step should be to talk to your employer or employer’s safety representative. It is very likely that your employer has addressed this issue before and will have protection recommendations best suited for your situation. They may also have special protective gear to help you or may offer to pay for protective gear. No matter what, your employer should be aware of your situation.

Next, you should take measures to protect yourself. Always wash your exposed skin regularly and practice good hygiene in order to remove irritants from the surface of your skin. Cover your exposed skin with gloves, aprons, hats, goggles, and any other protective gear. Be aware that rubber and latex may be an irritant to your eczema. Also, try to improve your skin’s barrier functions by applying lotions regularly such as aloe vera, oatmeal, and zinc based moisturizers.

When a flare up occurs, you will use normal treatment methods for irritant contact dermatitis. You will probably do better if you use both medical and natural therapies. You should also try long term methods to detoxify your system which will strengthen both your immune system and your skin.

It is unfair that in order to earn a living you must be exposed to the irritants or allergens causing your occupational contact dermatitis. The important things to remember when trying to control and prevent you condition is to keep your employer informed, protect your skin, and try to keep yourself otherwise healthy. If you identify your trigger, take extra precautions, and use a healthy treatment regiment then you should find your eczema occurs less frequently and heals more quickly.

To find out more about eczema and ways to treat eczema, check out Blake Helton’s authoritative articles on the above mentioned sites.

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