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Hand Eczema Facts

Up to 30% of people in high-risk occupations are affected by hand eczema.
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Hand Eczema

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Basilea Pharmaceutica www.abouthandeczema.com

At work

Intro Hand eczema is even more common in certain jobs. If you’ve noticed that your work seems to aggravate or trigger your symptoms, you should take special care. You may want to discuss your condition with your supervisor and/or human resources department. In addition, make sure your doctor understands that your hand eczema may be linked to your work. When symptoms are severe, it may not be possible to work for days, weeks, or months. However, some adjustments in your work behavior may make a big difference. Some occupations with a high-risk for hand eczema include: food service/catering, construction, health services, hairdressers, metal machining, motor vehicle industry, and printing. Following are suggestions for managing hand eczema if you are working in one of these high risk occupations.
Food service/catering Eczema is one of the main causes of poor health for food service workers, such as chefs, cooks, bartenders, and catering assistants. Frequent contact with water and some types of food (eg, onions and citrus fruits) can cause hand eczema.
Pointer Hand

  • Use a dishwasher rather than washing dishes by hand

  • Handle food with utensils rather than your hands as much as possible

  • Use a food processor instead of chopping or mixing by hand

  • Wear non-latex gloves when possible, especially when cleaning

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives

  • At work, use an emollient that won’t contaminate food. Use a dispenser containing a hypoallergenic, fragrance-free emollient that does not contain nut oil

Construction In the construction industry, there are many substances that can cause problems with the skin on your hands. A few of these are: "wet work", wet cement, epoxy resins and hardeners, acrylic sealants, asphalt, solvents, fuel, oils, greases, degreasers, descalers, and detergents.
Pointer Hand

  • Where possible, eliminate or use a substitute for substances or activities that cause hand eczema

  • Make sure that you wash and dry your hands thoroughly

  • Use pre-work creams to help make removing fluids easier, but remember that these don’t provide a barrier and are no substitute for gloves

  • Wear appropriate protective gloves

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly, but use a product that is free from fragrances and preservatives

Health services Contact with cleaning products, "wet work", or frequent contact with water and contact with latex gloves are common triggers for hand eczema among health service workers, including doctors, dentists, nurses, and staff.
Pointer Hand

  • If possible, use machinery and tools to clean equipment, rather than your hands

  • When you wash your hands, make sure you have rinsed them thoroughly

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives

  • If latex gloves trigger your hand eczema, use suitable hypoallergenic gloves instead

Hairdressers One of the main causes of eczema in hairdressing is "wet work". The other main cause is contact with the chemicals in hairdressing products when shampooing, coloring, or bleaching hair, or when using cleaning products.
Pointer Hand
  • Wear disposable non-latex gloves when shampooing, rinsing, coloring, and bleaching hair
  • Change gloves in between clients
  • Make sure that your gloves are in good condition and don’t have any holes
  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives
Metal machining Metal machining involves the use of large quantities of chemicals and fluids that are often applied in a continuous jet or spray, which can cause hand eczema if the skin is exposed.
Pointer Hand

  • Limit your contact with substances that may cause hand eczema

  • Reduce your chance of being splashed by using splash guards

  • Use pre-work creams to help make removing fluids easier, as well as after-work creams, but remember that these don’t provide a barrier and are no substitute for gloves

  • Wear appropriate protective gloves

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives


Motor vehicle industry Those who work in car assembly are more likely to develop hand eczema than the average working population, and body preparation workers are twice as likely. Frequent or prolonged contact with used engine oil may cause hand eczema, as can many cleaning and degreasing substances. Exposure to fine dust during hand sanding can also cause eczema, and wet sanding is particularly punishing to the hands.
Pointer Hand

  • Minimize contact with substances that may cause hand eczema. Try to substitute hazardous materials with safer alternatives

  • Wash any contamination from your hands promptly

  • Don’t use aggressive cleaners or solvents to clean your hands

  • Use pre-work creams to help make removing fluids easier as well as after-work creams, but remember that these don’t provide a barrier and are no substitute for gloves

  • Wear appropriate protective gloves

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives

Printing Print workers who use chemicals, such as inks and washing-up solutions, during the course of their work are at a higher risk of developing eczema than other workers.
Pointer Hand

  • If possible, avoid chemicals that may cause hand eczema coming into contact with your skin

  • Make sure that you wear protective gloves that are appropriate for the job

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives

     

Intro Hand eczema is even more common in certain jobs. If you’ve noticed that your work seems to aggravate or trigger your symptoms, you should take special care. You may want to discuss your condition with your supervisor and/or human resources department. In addition, make sure your doctor understands that your hand eczema may be linked to your work. When symptoms are severe, it may not be possible to work for days, weeks, or months. However, some adjustments in your work behavior may make a big difference. Some occupations with a high-risk for hand eczema include: food service/catering, construction, health services, hairdressers, metal machining, motor vehicle industry, and printing. Following are suggestions for managing hand eczema if you are working in one of these high risk occupations.
Food service/catering Eczema is one of the main causes of poor health for food service workers, such as chefs, cooks, bartenders, and catering assistants. Frequent contact with water and some types of food (eg, onions and citrus fruits) can cause hand eczema.

  • Use a dishwasher rather than washing dishes by hand

  • Handle food with utensils rather than your hands as much as possible

  • Use a food processor instead of chopping or mixing by hand

  • Wear non-latex gloves when possible, especially when cleaning

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives

  • At work, use an emollient that won’t contaminate food. Use a dispenser containing a hypoallergenic, fragrance-free emollient that does not contain nut oil
Construction In the construction industry, there are many substances that can cause problems with the skin on your hands. A few of these are: "wet work", wet cement, epoxy resins and hardeners, acrylic sealants, asphalt, solvents, fuel, oils, greases, degreasers, descalers, and detergents.

  • Where possible, eliminate or use a substitute for substances or activities that cause hand eczema

  • Make sure that you wash and dry your hands thoroughly

  • Use pre-work creams to help make removing fluids easier, but remember that these don’t provide a barrier and are no substitute for gloves

  • Wear appropriate protective gloves

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly, but use a product that is free from fragrances and preservatives
Health services Contact with cleaning products, "wet work", or frequent contact with water and contact with latex gloves are common triggers for hand eczema among health service workers, including doctors, dentists, nurses, and staff.

  • If possible, use machinery and tools to clean equipment, rather than your hands

  • When you wash your hands, make sure you have rinsed them thoroughly

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives

  • If latex gloves trigger your hand eczema, use suitable hypoallergenic gloves instead
Hairdressers One of the main causes of eczema in hairdressing is "wet work". The other main cause is contact with the chemicals in hairdressing products when shampooing, coloring, or bleaching hair, or when using cleaning products.
  • Wear disposable non-latex gloves when shampooing, rinsing, coloring, and bleaching hair
  • Change gloves in between clients
  • Make sure that your gloves are in good condition and don’t have any holes
  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives
Metal machining Metal machining involves the use of large quantities of chemicals and fluids that are often applied in a continuous jet or spray, which can cause hand eczema if the skin is exposed.

  • Limit your contact with substances that may cause hand eczema

  • Reduce your chance of being splashed by using splash guards

  • Use pre-work creams to help make removing fluids easier, as well as after-work creams, but remember that these don’t provide a barrier and are no substitute for gloves

  • Wear appropriate protective gloves

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives
Motor vehicle industry Those who work in car assembly are more likely to develop hand eczema than the average working population, and body preparation workers are twice as likely. Frequent or prolonged contact with used engine oil may cause hand eczema, as can many cleaning and degreasing substances. Exposure to fine dust during hand sanding can also cause eczema, and wet sanding is particularly punishing to the hands.

  • Minimize contact with substances that may cause hand eczema. Try to substitute hazardous materials with safer alternatives

  • Wash any contamination from your hands promptly

  • Don’t use aggressive cleaners or solvents to clean your hands

  • Use pre-work creams to help make removing fluids easier as well as after-work creams, but remember that these don’t provide a barrier and are no substitute for gloves

  • Wear appropriate protective gloves

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives
Printing Print workers who use chemicals, such as inks and washing-up solutions, during the course of their work are at a higher risk of developing eczema than other workers.

  • If possible, avoid chemicals that may cause hand eczema coming into contact with your skin

  • Make sure that you wear protective gloves that are appropriate for the job

  • Protect your hands by moisturizing them regularly. Use an emollient that is free from fragrances and preservatives

     
Basilea Pharmaceutica www.abouthandeczema.com
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