Abstract

Contact dermatitis is a frequent disorder (accounting for 7–10% of visits to the dermatologist). More importantly, contact dermatitis makes up about 90% of all cases of occupational skin diseases. Contact dermatit is may be caused by two mechanisms. First, chemicals that come into contact with the skin may damage skin cells directly and cause nonspecific inflammation or irritant contact  dermatitis. The second mechanism is based on sensitization. Allergic contact dermatitis requires a genetic predisposition to develop a specific Th1-response to small molecules that have penetrated the skin. To distinguish between these two types of dermatitis, patch testing has to be performed. Topical corticosteroids are the first choice in the treatment of established contact dermatitis.