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Dermatitis - contact - Management
How should I manage acute contact dermatitis?
- Advise the person to avoid contact with the stimulus.
- Apply an emollient first-line to cool the skin and restore the skin barrier.
- Treat localized acute dermatitis with a topical corticosteroid.
- Prescribe a potency appropriate to the severity and location of the dermatitis (see Prescribing topical corticosteroids).
- Consider a systemic corticosteroid if there is significant impairment of function, such as in eczema on the hands.
- Consider treating extensive acute dermatitis (> 20% of total skin surface involved) with a systemic corticosteroid (e.g. prednisolone 0.5–1 mg/kg/day, given for 5–7 days and then tapered over 2–3 weeks according to response).
- Recommend frequent, liberal use of an emollient to maintain skin hydration and improve barrier repair.
- CKS does not recommend the use of antihistamines for relieving pruritus associated with acute contact dermatitis.
In depth
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