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Rashes
Redness of the skin
Itchy
Skin itching that worsens at night
Cosmetics reaction
Skin rash with diapers
There is a sore
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Contact Dermatitis?
Rashes that occur due to direct contact with a substance, or an allergic reaction to it. Examples include reactions to jewelry or watches, or to plants like poison ivy.
Typical Symptoms of Contact Dermatitis
- Itchy skin
- Rashes in an area exposed to plants, metals, clothing, rubber or medications
- Known food allergy
- Difficulty breathing after contact with possible allergens
- Itchy skin that gets worse at night
- Redness or bumps on the skin, that occur or worsen with cosmetics
- Red, bumpy rashes after contact with rubber gloves or diapers
- Exposed to something that you were previously allergic to
Diagnostic Questions for Contact Dermatitis
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Do you have itchy skin?
- Did your skin have any reactions to plants, metals, clothing, rubber, or chemicals?
- Have you ever had food allergies?
- Do you have difficulty breathing after contact with possible allergens?
- Does your skin get itchier at night?
Treatment of Contact Dermatitis
The first step is identifying and avoiding the cause, such as jewelry or shampoo. Avoid harsh soaps and detergents, and wear gloves if necessary. Moisturizers and steroid creams can help with healing.
Reviewed By:
Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)
Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.
Yukiko Ueda, MD (Dermatology)
Dr. Ueda graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine and trained at the University of Tokyo Medical School. She is currently a clinical assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology, Jichi Medical University, and holds several posts in the dermatology departments at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Komagome Hospital, University of Tokyo, and the Medical Center of Japan Red Cross Society.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- The skin is itchy and has scratches
- Itch is mild
- Itching
- Scratching the skin
- Nighttime itch is worse
- Persistent, mild itch
- Itch
- A scratch
- Itch improves during the day
- Itch is minor
See full list
Symptoms Related to Contact Dermatitis
Diseases Related to Contact Dermatitis
FAQs
Q.
Skin on Fire? Why Dermatitis Attacks & Medically Approved Relief
A.
A burning, itchy rash is often dermatitis, driven by inflammation when irritants, allergens, or an overactive immune response weaken the skin barrier and sensitize nerves. Relief usually comes from avoiding triggers, repairing the barrier with regular fragrance free moisturizers, and using doctor approved treatments like topical steroids or non steroid creams, with wet wraps or nighttime antihistamines for tougher flares; urgent care is needed for signs of infection, rapidly spreading rash, severe swelling, or breathing problems. There are several factors to consider that can change your next steps, so see the complete details below.
References:
* Huang J, Li K. Atopic Dermatitis: Pathophysiology and Update on Treatment Options. Front Immunol. 2020 Sep 4;11:584820. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.584820. PMID: 32959664; PMCID: PMC7490013.
* Brunner PM, Guttman-Yassky E, Leung DYM. Atopic Dermatitis. N Engl J Med. 2020 Mar 19;382(12):1135-1146. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1906096. PMID: 32187425.
* Kim J, Kim BE, Leung DYM. Treatment of atopic dermatitis: From the topical treatments to biologics. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2021 May 1;42(3):189-198. doi: 10.2500/aap.2021.42.210023. PMID: 33919655.
* Bains SN, Nash P, Fonacier L. Allergic contact dermatitis: Epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, and management. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2020 Oct;125(4):348-359. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2020.06.014. Epub 2020 Jun 25. PMID: 32299839.
* Kim J, Marwaha R, Singh M, Al-Adwan H. Atopic Dermatitis: A Review of Targeted Treatments. Cureus. 2022 Jul 23;14(7):e27161. doi: 10.7759/cureus.27161. PMID: 36014902; PMCID: PMC9397940.
Q.
Skin on Fire? Why Poison Ivy Triggers That Electric Itch & Medically Approved Next Steps
A.
Poison ivy’s urushiol oil triggers an allergic skin reaction that can start 12 to 48 hours after contact, causing an electric itch with redness, swelling, and line-like blisters; once the oil is washed off, the rash itself is not contagious. Wash exposed skin and gear promptly, then use cool compresses, calamine, colloidal oatmeal, and early 1% hydrocortisone; seek care for widespread rash, face or genital involvement, severe swelling, signs of infection, lasting symptoms beyond 2 to 3 weeks, or any trouble breathing. There are several factors to consider for treatment and prevention that may affect your next steps; see complete details below.
References:
* Zackular R, Vashisht P, Sinha S. Toxicodendron Dermatitis. 2023 Feb 1. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan–. PMID: 32644485.
* Kozma GT, Fonacier LS. Allergic contact dermatitis: current and future approaches to treatment. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021 Mar;126(3):235-241. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2020.10.038. Epub 2020 Nov 6. PMID: 33166687.
* Schmidt M, Wölbing F, Kist-Van Heyden R, Mailaender K, Biedermann T. Mechanisms of urushiol-induced contact hypersensitivity. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2020 Nov;146(5):1224-1225. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.08.019. Epub 2020 Sep 2. PMID: 32889073.
* Fonacier LS, Krasnicki W, Lockey RF. Contact Dermatitis: A Practice Parameter-Update 2015. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2015 Sep;115(3):190-202. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2015.06.012. Epub 2015 Jun 24. PMID: 26116847.
* Gladman AC. Poison ivy and oak dermatitis: an update. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2008 Jun;27(2):111-4. doi: 10.1016/j.sder.2008.03.007. PMID: 18486980.
Q.
Skin on Fire? Why Your Body is Reacting & Medically Approved Contact Dermatitis Relief
A.
Burning, stinging, or itchy skin after touching something is often contact dermatitis, triggered by irritants like soaps and sanitizers or allergens like nickel, fragrances, latex, hair dye, and poison ivy, and it typically appears where contact occurred and improves when the trigger is removed; see below for other look‑alike conditions and how to confirm. Medically approved relief includes stopping exposure, gentle washing, fragrance free thick moisturizers, short courses of 1 percent hydrocortisone, cool compresses, and antihistamines for itch, while moderate to severe or persistent cases may need prescription steroids or patch testing, and urgent red flags like face or throat swelling, breathing trouble, spreading infection, or no improvement in 1 to 2 weeks require prompt care, with full guidance on next steps below.
References:
* pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38141697/
* pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37661073/
* pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32134808/
* pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28457788/
* pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38141695/
Q.
Contact Dermatitis Relief: A 30-45 Woman’s Guide & Next Steps
A.
For women 30 to 45, contact dermatitis is common and often improves once you identify and remove triggers like fragrances, soaps, hair dye, nickel, and cleaning products, while calming the skin with fragrance-free moisturizers and short-term hydrocortisone. There are several factors to consider, including red flags that require medical care, when patch testing or prescriptions may be needed, and how to prevent recurrences. See below for the step-by-step plan and vital details that can guide your next steps.
References:
* Usatine RP, Mulgrew K. Contact dermatitis: clinical diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. 2023 Sep;108(3):260-267. PMID: 37731737.
* Bakaa L, Salih H, Glick B, Maroo N, Shvartsbeyn M. Contact Dermatitis: An Update in Diagnosis and Management. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2023 Feb;16(2):22-29. PMID: 36768396.
* Biesbroeck L, Zirwas MJ. Allergic Contact Dermatitis: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022 Nov;10(11):2842-2850. PMID: 36254887.
* Varghese S, Krupashankar D. Contact dermatitis: new and classic approaches to diagnosis and management. Indian J Dermatol. 2020 Sep-Oct;65(5):351-356. PMID: 32959880.
* Silverberg NB, Silverberg JI. Contact Dermatitis: A Guide to Patch Testing and Treatment. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2020 Jan;58(1):107-122. PMID: 31835313.
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Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Usatine RP, Riojas M. Diagnosis and management of contact dermatitis. Am Fam Physician. 2010 Aug 1;82(3):249-55. PMID: 20672788.
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2010/0801/p249.htmlZirwas MJ. Contact Dermatitis to Cosmetics. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2019 Feb;56(1):119-128. doi: 10.1007/s12016-018-8717-9. PMID: 30421329.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12016-018-8717-9Rashid RS, Shim TN. Contact dermatitis. BMJ. 2016 Jun 30;353:i3299. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i3299. PMID: 27364956.
https://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i3299Li Y, Li L. Contact Dermatitis: Classifications and Management. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2021 Dec;61(3):245-281. doi: 10.1007/s12016-021-08875-0. Epub 2021 Jul 15. PMID: 34264448.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12016-021-08875-0Aquino M, Rosner G. Systemic Contact Dermatitis. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2019 Feb;56(1):9-18. doi: 10.1007/s12016-018-8686-z. PMID: 29766368.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12016-018-8686-z