Management of contact eczema

- Avoid contact with the relevant irritant or allergen!
- Avoid soap and vaseline, use aqueous cream/emulsifying ointment
instead.
- Vaseline dermatitis: use calamine or phenol-zinc lotion, betadine scrub or shampoo,
use no vaseline for months or rather years.
Severe infection: cloxacillin or erythromycin for 1 week.
- Acute contact eczema: Wet dressings with saline or potassium permanganate
solution twice daily. For itch calamine lotion or phenol-zinc lotion. When dry a
topical steroid cream e.g. hydrocortisone 1% twice daily. Antihistamines orally e.g.
promethazine 25 mg nightly for 5 days.
- Chronic contact eczema: Hydrocortisone 1% ointment, if necessary stronger topical
steroid. Coal tar ointment for itch nightly. Aqueous cream, emulsifying ointment. If
lichenified: urea 10% ointment or salicylic acid 2-5% ointment twice daily.
- If photo-allergic: sunprotection (sunhat, long sleeves, high collar).