• Advise people that preventing further episodes of contact dermatitis relies on avoidance of the causative stimulus.
• If complete avoidance is not possible, advise the person on the use of measures aimed at preventing or minimizing contact with affected areas of skin, for example:
• Rinsing with water or washing with soap or, preferably, a soap substitute as soon as possible after contact (overuse of skin-cleaning agents can aggravate contact dermatitis).
• Substituting products that contain identified allergens or irritants with other products that do not contain them.
• Reducing the duration and frequency of contact with an irritant.
• Using protective clothing. Most irritant contact dermatitis involves the hands, and protective gloves are the mainstay of protection:
• For handling potential irritants, cotton-lined rubber or plastic gloves are usually sufficient.
• Certain chemicals may demand more heavy-duty protective materials which are not subject to chemical degradation.
• For dry work, fabric gloves that 'breathe' (e.g. cotton) should be used.
• Gloves should be removed frequently, as sweating may aggravate existing dermatitis.
• Consider appropriate use of a barrier cream. Barrier creams may help to prevent irritant contact dermatitis, but their use as sole protection against contact with allergens or irritants is not recommended.
• Advise the use of emollient soap substitutes:
• Emollient soap substitutes are useful to avoid the drying effects of soaps and should be considered for all people with dermatitis.
• They are particularly useful for people who are required to wash or wet their hands frequently.
• Recommend frequent application of emollients:
• Where irritant contact dermatitis is caused by cumulative exposure to an irritant, such as at work, emollients should be applied regularly during and after work to prevent dermatitis.

There is little good-quality evidence on the prevention of contact dermatitis. These recommendations are largely based on common sense, supported by expert opinion from the current literature [Beck and Wilkinson, 2004; Wilkinson and Beck, 2004; Beltrani et al, 2006] and UK guidelines for the management of contact dermatitis [Bourke et al, 2001].

Measures for minimizing exposure

• Barrier creams: although some evidence indicates that barrier creams reduce irritant contact dermatitis under experimental conditions, their use in clinical situations is often disappointing. This is, at least in part, because how they are applied influences their effectiveness [Jacob and Castanedo-Tardan, 2007].
• Soap substitutes and after-work creams: some evidence shows benefit of the use of soap substitutes [Lauharanta et al, 1991] and after-work creams [Halkier-Sorensen, 1996] in reducing the incidence and prevalence of contact dermatitis.

Application of emollients/moisturizers

• Frequent application of emollients will help prevent dryness and chapping of the skin and is a widely accepted method of preventing subsequent recurrence of dermatitis, although there is little evidence to support it [Wilkinson and Beck, 2004].