How do you treat contact dermatitis?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Find and avoid the trigger - nothing else works while exposure continues. Then repair the barrier with generous fragrance-free emollient, and calm flares with a short course of topical steroid cream as directed. Suspects: new soaps, detergents, nickel jewellery, fragrances, hair dye, rubber gloves, plants, workplace materials. Cold compresses ease itch; gloves for wet work; lukewarm water. Cannot find the culprit, or it keeps returning? Ask about patch testing, which identifies specific allergic triggers. See a doctor for weeping, crusted, or spreading patches (possible infection), face or genital involvement, or no improvement after a couple of weeks of avoidance and emollients. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you narrow down the trigger.
What to do
- Audit what changed: new soap, cream, watch, gloves, shampoo, work materials.
- Moisturize relentlessly: fragrance-free emollient, several times daily.
- Steroid cream for flares, briefly: as directed - not open-ended.
- Ask for patch testing if it recurs: it names the culprit instead of guessing.
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