LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Dermatitis: Substances
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Topical steroid preparations and avoidance of the offending substance are the mainstays for the treatment of contact dermatitis. A mid or high potency steroid cream is usually needed to treat the rash. Usually the inflammation can be controlled within seven to fourteen days. If an extensive amount of skin is involved, then oral steroids may be prescribed. For the teen with significant itchiness, an oral anti-itch preparation may be recommended.
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Allergic contact dermatitis is a reaction by the body's immune system to a substance contacting the skin. Sometimes a person can be sensitized by only one exposure, and other times sensitization occurs only after many exposures to a substance. After a person is sensitized, the next exposure causes itching and dermatitis within 4 to 24 hours, although some people, particularly older people, do not develop a reaction for 3 to 4 days.
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Irritants cause approximately 80 per cent of cases of contact dermatitis. An irritant reaction is caused by the direct effect of an irritant substance on the skin. An irritant substance is one that would cause an inflammatory reaction in most individuals when applied in sufficient concentration for an adequate amount of time.
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CONTACT DERMATITIS — Contact dermatitis refers to dermatitis that is caused by contact between the skin and a substance. The substance can be an allergen (a substance that provokes an allergic reaction) or an irritant (a substance that directly damages the skin). Irritants are responsible for about 80 percent of cases of contact dermatitis.
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Various substances can ... trigger Dermatitis to develop in different people and allergic reactions can be genetically determined. People with burns or sunburn are higher risk of having this skin disorder. What makes people susceptible to allergic Dermatitis is still very much unknown as the numbers of factors involved are too many to pin point from one individual to another.
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The most important factor in making a diagnosis is the suspicion by you or your doctor that a substance in your environment is causing the dermatitis. Doctors should always think about the possibility of contact dermatitis when managing a patient with an eczematous (eczema-like) reaction. Two features are key to differentiating contact dermatitis from other causes of an eczematous rash and to determine the offending substances: the timing of onset or exacerbations and the part of the body that is affected.
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