What Is Dermatitis

dermatitis is inflammation of skin or redness of the skin. Most of the people take eczema as dermatitis but this is not true. Eczema and dermatitis, both are different from each other. Every rash on the body cannot be taken as dermatitis. Dermatitis is caused due to an allergy to specific allergens. The skin becomes dry and cracked due to the dermatitis. The main symptoms of dermatitis can be:

• Dryness
• Redness
• Itching
• Flaking/Scaling
• Cracking
• Pain
• Heat

Dermatitis is the mostly seen in the workers working in the factories as they come in contact with the chemicals almost every day. That is why, it is very important to give proper protection to the hands and other parts of the body which come in contact with those harmful chemicals. The hands should be covered with the gloves to protect them from any kind of reaction to the harmful chemicals. Dermatitis can be hereditary too.

Dermatitis is of different types:

• Contact dermatitis: this type of dermatitis causes the skin to become red or pink which can itch too. There is not any specific reason to this type of problem. It can be due to certain flowers, vegetables, herbs etc. It can also be due to chemical irritants like detergents, soaps, polishes, nail polish remover etc. It can also be caused due to certain type of cosmetics. 
• Nummular dermatitis: this type of dermatitis can be caused due to taking very hot showers. It is mostly seen in both men and women in the age of 55-60 years. It causes the skin to develop coin shaped red rashes.
• Atopic dermatitis or eczema: it can cause the skin to itch and swell. It is mostly caused due to asthma and stress. It is mostly found on legs, arms and ankles.
• Lichen simplex chronicus: it causes the skin to develop thickened skin if you scratch the skin for long time.

It is very difficult for the doctors to differentiate between the dermatitis types. Various exams are done to know the reason and the type of dermatitis is patient has. To avoid this situation, you should avoid using the chemicals which can cause dermatitis. You should use the mildest soap. Before using any product which can have harmful chemicals, you should wear gloves. If your skin is dry, you should use oils and creams after every hand wash to keep the hands soft and retain its protective properties. Sometimes, if the conditions are worse, then topical steroids are used to treat dermatitis. If the dermatitis type is known, then it can be best treated.