Chemical irritation of the skin
Chemical irritation of the skin is a type of reaction of the dermis in response to exposure to chemically active substances. Such irritation cannot be ignored. The fact is that even a small amount of chemicals that get on the skin can cause significant damage to it. Do not expect chemical irritation to go away on its own. Even the death of a skin area and the impossibility of its subsequent independent restoration is not excluded.
Chemical irritation of the skin should be distinguished from chemical burns. So, with chemical irritation, damage to the deep layers of the skin does not occur, the layer of stem cells, which are responsible for the creation of new tissue, is not captured.
The symptoms of chemical irritation are as follows:
- Severe redness of a limited area of the skin. The color returns to normal quite slowly, on average it takes from 4 to 24 hours.
- Local increase in body temperature in the area where the chemical has entered.
- Swelling of the skin.
- Possible short-term painful sensations of low intensity. Sometimes irritation is accompanied by burning and itching of the skin.
- Peeling of the skin increases after a few days from the moment the chemical is exposed to the skin. This is due to the fact that the damaged epidermis is renewed.
It should be noted that chemical skin irritation does not require medical attention if symptoms resolve on their own after 4-5 days. If, in addition to the listed symptoms, the appearance of blisters is observed on the skin, then we are talking about a chemical burn. In this case, a medical consultation is mandatory.
Content:
- Causes of chemical skin irritation
- Treating chemical skin irritation
Causes of chemical skin irritation
The causes of chemical irritation of the skin are reduced to the ingress of certain chemicals on it.
There are the following types:
- Acids, including: acetic, citric, hydrochloric, salicylic, oxalic and boric acids. Irritation when a small amount of the substance is injected is not extensive, a dense crust may form on the skin.
- Gases, including: vapors of phenol, gasoline, alkalis, acids, mustard gas, methyl bromide. Irritation of the skin upon contact with gas is most often not severe, but quite extensive.
- Some medicines, for example, Metrogyl gel, Zenerit, Baziron, Benzoyl peroxide. Irritation occurs when these products are misused, especially when over-applied to the skin.
- Skin irritation due to prolonged exposure to antibiotics is not excluded. This type of irritation is most often affected by pharmacists, doctors, nurses. Irritation occurs with prolonged skin contact with streptomycin, penicillin and other antibacterial agents. Irritation of the skin is possible after applying gray mercury ointment to it.
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The appearance of chemical irritation on the skin after its contact with some plants, for example, with primrose flowers, with the leaves of figs, parsnips, plants of the buttercup family, etc., is not excluded. In this regard, tropical and meadow plants are especially dangerous.
Chemical irritation of the skin after applying cosmetic products (creams, masks, foams, lotions, tonics, peels, etc.) should be considered separately. Irritation may arise due to the fact that they may contain substandard components that were used to create their own product by unscrupulous manufacturers. Sometimes skin irritation is due to the fact that an expired product with an expired date was applied to it.
Metals and metal salts, petroleum and mineral oils, paints and alkalis can provoke chemical burns. In this case, urgent medical attention is needed, since the skin lesions will be quite deep.
Find out more: First aid for chemical burns and their treatment
Treating chemical skin irritation
Treatment of chemical irritation of the skin comes down to competent first aid to the victim. First of all, it is necessary to remove as much as possible the chemical agent that caused the undesirable reaction. To do this, put the skin under a stream of cool boiled or distilled water. If this is not possible, then ordinary running water will do. The minimum duration of flushing the damaged surface is 5 minutes. You should not postpone this procedure, since the speed of elimination of irritation depends on the timely provision of first aid.
The following tips can help eliminate chemical irritation of the skin:
- It is important that no dirt particles, house dust, any biological fluid (saliva or blood of an animal or human) get on the damaged skin. This is the only way to prevent infection of the skin. For this, an aseptic bandage is applied to the skin. It is best to use a bandage for this purpose.
- If a person experiences discomfort, pain or burning, then you can take a tablet of Citramon, Nimesulide, Meloxicam or another drug from the NSAID group.
- As soon as the opportunity arises, an antiseptic and wound-healing ointment should be applied to the irritated skin surface: Bepanten, Levomethyl, Levomekol, D-panthenol. After that, the skin must be bandaged again.
- Ointments with silver salts - Arguedin and Argosulfan help to speed up tissue recovery after chemical irritation.
It should be borne in mind that chemical irritation should not be eliminated using folk remedies. The reaction of the interaction of chemical components with plant substances is completely unpredictable, therefore there is a risk of deeper tissue damage.
To eliminate chemical irritation of the skin, it is important to know which agents act as neutralizers of certain substances:
- Phosphorus must be removed from the skin with water by completely immersing it in a liquid.
- Alkali cannot be neutralized with acids, and acids with alkali. If you ignore this rule, then even more heat will be generated, which will lead to increased irritation.
- The wound should be rinsed for at least 15 minutes before dressing. If this is not done, the chemical (even a small amount) under the dressing can burn tissue to the bone.
- It is forbidden to treat the irritated surface with hydrogen peroxide, iodine, potassium permanganate. Each of these solutions can harm the skin.
A popular method of traditional medicine is to apply badger or bear fat to the irritated surface. However, this should not be done, since an excellent environment is created for the reproduction of bacteria and microbes, which will contribute to the development of suppuration.
Chemical irritation of the skin can be corrected by yourself at home if done correctly. In the event that after 3-4 days there is no improvement in the condition, you should definitely consult a doctor.
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
