Textile allergic contact dermatitis caused by occupational exposure-An overlooked condition

Role of Centella asiatica and ceramide in skin barrier improvement: a double blind clinical trial of Indonesian batik workers

OBJECTIVES

Batik dyes contain irritant chemicals that increase the risk of skin barrier disruption. This study aims to determine the effect of Centella asiatica and ceramide in transepidermal water loss (TEWL), hydration of the stratum corneum and skin acidity (pH).

METHODS

This was a double blind clinical trial of 30 Indonesian batik workers who suffered from skin dryness, but had no clinical manifestation of contact dermatitis. Subjects were given cream containing C. asiatica or ceramide that formulated and randomly labeled by manufacturer (PT Paragon Technology and Innovation). Both subjects and researchers were blinded to the type of the cream. Cream was applied to the hands and arms twice a day. Biological function of the skin (TEWL, stratum corneum hydration level, and skin acidity) was examined by Cutometer dual MP-580. Baseline was recorded in the first examination, followed by second and third examinations at two and four weeks after treatment.

RESULTS

After four weeks treatment, there were significant improvement of C. asiatica application in evaluation of corneometer palmar (p=0.007; CI 95%), corneometer dorsum (p=0.001; CI 95%), and skin acidity dorsum (p=0.017; CI 95%). Ceramide application also gave significant improvement of corneometer palmar (0.038; CI 95%), skin acidity palmar (p=0.001; CI 95%), TEWL dorsum (p=0.023; CI 95%), corneometer dorsum (p=0.002; CI 95%) and skin acidity dorsum (p=0.011; CI 95%). There were no significant differences of C. asiatica effectiveness compared to ceramide in skin barrier improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

C. asiatica and ceramide can improve skin barrier hydration in order to prevent the risk of contact dermatitis in batik workers.

Analysis of Prevalence and Risk Factors of Contact Sensitization with respect to the Occupational Profiles in a Greek Patient Cohort: A Retrospective Analysis of a Greek Referral Centre and Future Perspectives

Contact dermatitis is a frequent skin disorder related to environmental and occupational etiological factors, which could potentially affect all age groups, as well as both genders. The current study is aimed at exploring the patterns of contact sensitization with respect to the population's occupational patterns in Greece. A retrospective analysis was performed in a cohort of 1978 patients from 2014 to 2016. Patients were divided into two categories; blue collars (BlC) and white collars (WhC), as well as detailed occupation was considered. Separation was performed on the basis of their profession, i.e., labor workers and handicraftsmen were sorted to the BlC group, while office employees were sorted to the WhC group. The common allergen in all occupational subgroups was nickel sulphate. The three most prevalent allergens in both BlC and WhC were nickel sulphate 5%, fragrance mix (I) 8%, and Balsam of Peru 25%. WhC males were uniquely sensitized to colophony 20% and formaldehyde 2%, and WhC females were uniquely sensitized to 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (CMIT) and neomycin sulphate 20%. Sensitization to allergens manifested occupation-specific patterns. Allergic contact dermatitis surveillance is of great importance towards the clinical and systematic understanding of the disease, especially with respect to the patient's occupational profile.