Diagnosing Contact Dermatitis: How Dermatologists Identify the Culprit

Contact dermatitis is a common skin condition that occurs when your skin reacts to a substance it has come into contact with, causing redness, itching, and inflammation. It's important to know what causes your contact dermatitis in order to avoid that trigger in the future and reduce outbreaks. 

Dr. Linda Nims, Dr. Rebecca Barry, and Dr. Kelley Redbord at Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery Group of Northern Virginia in Vienna, VA, can explain contact dermatitis and how to determine the cause of your outbreak.

Finding the Cause of Contact Dermatitis

There are two main types of contact dermatitis:

• Irritant Contact Dermatitis: Caused by direct contact with a substance that irritates the skin, such as soaps, detergents, or chemicals.
• Allergic Contact Dermatitis: Occurs when the skin has an allergic reaction to a substance, such as poison ivy, nickel, or certain cosmetics.

To find out what caused your contact dermatitis, your Vienna, VA, dermatologist will ask questions about your recent activity and any exposure you may have had, including any new products you might be using and your history of allergies or skin conditions.

Your dermatologist will perform a patch test to determine what allergens could have caused your contact dermatitis. From there, you'll want to avoid the suspected irritant and eliminate any products that could cause an outbreak. Your dermatologist will monitor your improvement and then ask you to reintroduce products to identify your contact dermatitis trigger.

Contact Your Dermatologist Today!

Dr. Barry, Dr. Nims, and Dr. Redbord at Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery Group of Northern Virginia can help you learn more about contact dermatitis in Vienna, VA - and identify what could be causing yours. 

Call for more information and to schedule your appointment today at (703) 938-5700.