Prevention

If you know what causes the dermatitis, avoid that trigger. If you cannot avoid the trigger altogether, take steps to protect your skin from the trigger.

Wearing protective clothing such as long sleeves, long pants, and gloves helps protect the skin from allergens and irritants.

Protection is especially important at an industrial site, but it is also important when working outdoors where you could come in contact with plants from the poison ivy family as well as with lawn and garden chemicals, cleaning solvents, and other toxic substances.

Take care to avoid poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac when enjoying the outdoors.

If you do become exposed, wash the area immediately with soap and cool water to prevent a rash from developing.

If you have dermatitis often and you do not know what is causing it, you may want to see an allergy specialist, or allergist.

• The allergist will ask you questions to try to determine what may be causing the reactions.
• If the questions do not reveal the cause, he or she may perform skin patch tests to identify the trigger.
• You can then take steps to avoid the trigger.