Dermatitis

What is dermatitis?

The term ‘dermatitis’ refers to several conditions involving the skin. It’s often used to cover a range of symptoms such as dryness, itchiness, and inflammation, and is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘eczema’ to summarize the skin changes that people develop. It can also be used as an umbrella term for more specific conditions like photodermatitis, contact dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis.

There are several causes of dermatitis, and they relate to specific conditions. Contact dermatitis, for example, is a form of dermatitis that is triggered when your skin comes into contact with a substance that aggravates it.¹

Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is the most common inflammatory skin disease and can be triggered by allergies such as rhinitis or food intolerances. It can also affect people with asthma.² A healthcare professional can help you identify which skin condition you have, and help you find a suitable treatment to manage it.

Another common type of dermatitis is perioral dermatitis, which causes a red, bumpy rash around the mouth, and sometimes the nose and eyes. It can be itchy or cause a burning sensation, and is often triggered by things like certain skincare products, topical steroids, hormonal changes, or even toothpaste.

Who gets dermatitis?

Dermatitis can affect anyone. There are a wide range of conditions involving irritated, dry, or inflamed skin, and they can usually present at any age. Skin conditions like eczema can begin during childhood or start to affect you when you’re an adult.³

Contact dermatitis can also affect people at any age, but might be more likely to occur if you handle irritants (like chemicals or beauty products) regularly.⁴

Perioral dermatitis, on the other hand, is much more common in women than men—around 9 out of 10 cases occur in women, most often between the ages of 20 and 45.⁵

Dermatological conditions can also vary in severity. People with eczema often experience flare-ups where their symptoms become worse, followed by periods of remission (where your skin recovers). The symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis, which usually affects your scalp and face, can vary from person to person and have multiple causes.

How common is dermatitis?

Skin conditions involving dryness, soreness, and irritation are very common. Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a form of dermatitis that affects 1 in 10 adults in the US at some point in their lives.⁶ However other forms of dermatitis might be less common. There isn’t a great deal of data to show exactly how common dermatitis is, overall.

What causes dermatitis?

Dermatitis is a broad term for a number of skin conditions. Although symptoms overlap between these conditions (such as with eczema and contact dermatitis), they often have different causes.

Contact dermatitis is usually caused by an irritant you’re using like a soap or detergent. Sometimes, your skin reacts to chemicals in cosmetic products that you’re sensitive to.

Seborrheic dermatitis, which usually affects your scalp or face, can have a number of causes, making it difficult to determine. Stress, hormonal factors, and changes of season are all thought to contribute to the inflammatory response that causes it. Another factor involved in the condition is a yeast called Malassezia, which lives on skin. The exact role of this yeast and how it contributes to seborrheic dermatitis isn’t clear, but people who have the condition are known to produce more of it.

A doctor can explain more to you about the different causes of dermatitis, and give you more information about what might be causing yours.

What are the symptoms of dermatitis?

Dermatitis can affect people differently, but there are lots of symptoms that overlap between skin conditions involving inflammation and irritation.

Contact dermatitis can cause dryness, soreness, and stinging that can sometimes lead to blisters. Allergic contact dermatitis can cause similar symptoms, but can cause itchiness and stinging. It mainly affects the hands, and sometimes can cause a delayed reaction.¹

Eczema causes patches of skin to be inflamed and sore, and often causes cracks to form on the skin’s surface. The symptoms you experience might align with more than one dermatitis condition, so a healthcare professional can help you identify the exact cause of your symptoms.

Can dermatitis lead to other problems?

Left untreated, dermatitis can cause skin problems that might be harder to manage than your initial symptoms. Eczema can cause cracks in your skin, and these broken areas might become infected as bacteria enter.

If irritants are making your dermatitis worse, then trying to identify them will help you avoid them and reduce your flare-ups. Things to look out for include specific foods that might be causing a reaction, materials you might be sensitive to, or environmental factors such as hay fever or changes in weather.

Skin inflammation, dryness, and irritation can also have an impact on your mental well-being, and it often works both ways: these symptoms can cause stress, while stress can also make them worse. Getting the right treatment and managing flare-ups can improve your self-confidence and put you in control of your condition.