skin disorders
Contact Dermatitis
Symptoms of Contact Dermatitis
Regardless of cause or type, contact dermatitis results in itching and a rash. Irritant contact dermatitiscauses more pain than itching. The symptoms typically decrease in intensity after 1 or 2 days once there is no more exposure to the irritating substance. Allergic contact dermatitisusually causes more itching than pain. Symptoms may take a day or more to become noticeable and increase in intensity for 2 to 3 days after exposure. For both, the rash varies from a mild, short-lived redness to severe swelling and large blisters. The rash develops only in areas that come in contact with the substance. However, the rash appears earlier in thin, sensitive areas of skin, such as in between the fingers, and later in areas of thicker skin or on skin that had less contact with the substance. On the hands and feet, the rash may contain tiny blisters. The rash in allergic contact dermatitis often occurs in a pattern that suggests exposure to a specific substance. For instance, Poison Ivy causes line-like streaks to form on the skin. Touching the rash or blister fluid cannot spread contact dermatitis to other people or to other parts of the body that did not make contact with the substance. 