Contact Dermatitis
What substances cause Contact Dermatitis?
The most common cause of contact dermatitis is probably something with which you are quite familiar — the poison ivy plant (and its relatives, poison oak and poison sumac).
Another very common cause is nickel — widely used in costume jewelry, in metal clasps on women's underclothing, and in watch bands. Still other causative substances include detergents, cleaning compounds, cosmetics, etc.
But these are only the "tip of the iceberg". Contact dermatitis is extremely common. At work, at home, in the garden and elsewhere we are exposed to innumerable chemicals, metals, plants, etc. And there is always the possibility that some of them may cause a reaction in susceptible individuals.
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