Irritant contact dermatitis. Traumiterative and cumulative impairment by cosmetics, climate, and other daily loads.

Abstract

Based on the results of exposure experiments on living human skin a working hypothesis is launched concerning the possible pathogenesis of irritant contact dermatitis. Below a certain and critical degree of exposure there is no alteration in clinical aspect of the exposed region. However, instrumentally (watervapour-loss measurements, impedance measurements) it is usually possible to register subclinical effects in such a field. These are interpreted as signs of impairment of metabolic homoiostatic systems. It is possible in certain cases to show that the skin is able to adapt its functions to a repeated load (illustrated with exposure experiments to DMSO). It seems useful to distinguish between a traumiterative irritant contact dermatitis (a result of too early repetition of just one type of load; see Aquabrom experiment) and a cumulative irritant contact dermatitis (resulting from a too early repetition of exposures differing in type; see experiment with soap and detergent solutions). In cumulative irritant contact dermatitis the sequence of the different loading factors is of importance: first soap and then detergent or the reverse.

• Authors: K E Malten, J A den Arend
• Journal: Dermatosen in Beruf und Umwelt. Occupation and environment (Derm Beruf Umwelt) Vol. 33 Issue 4 Pg. 125-32 ( 1985) ISSN: 0343-2432 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 4042875 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Cosmetics
• Detergents
• Hydantoins
• Soaps
• di-halo

Topics

• Climate
• Cosmetics (adverse effects)
• Dermatitis, Contact (etiology, pathology, physiopathology)
• Detergents (adverse effects)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Humans
• Hydantoins (adverse effects)
• Skin (pathology, physiopathology)
• Soaps (adverse effects)