Skin irritation thresholds in hairdressers: implications for the development of hand dermatitis.

Abstract

Individuals vary in their ability to react to irritants. To observe the development of clinical hand dermatitis and sensitization prospectively in trainee hairdressers and to compare this with their irritant threshold to sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). Subjects were patch tested to a limited series of occupational importance and their irritant threshold to SLS was determined; patch testing was repeated 6 months later and subjects were assessed for hand dermatitis. The development of hand dermatitis was associated with a lower irritant threshold. A similar association was not found for sensitization. The development of clinical dermatitis in prospectively followed subjects with greater irritant reactivity has not previously been identified. The association of greater irritant reactivity with a proinflammatory cytokine polymorphism may partly explain this. Further development of the irritant threshold test could contribute to the identification of non-atopic subjects at risk of occupational skin disease.