[Contact eczema]

Allergic contact dermatitis is a very common condition. The causative allergens may be of environmental or occupational origin. Clinical and histological lesions are not specific. Only patch testing allow the identification of the allergen. Symptomatic treatment is the same as for any eczema. The only way to obtain a total clearance is to avoid the causative allergen. Unfortunately, some of them are quite impossible to be eliminated in daily life. For this reason, some patients tend to have chronic lesions years after onset. Recent advances in the elucidation of the skin immune system may contribute to the development of new efficacious therapeutic strategic.