Treatment of dermatitis

Studies show that people with venous leg ulcers have high rates of skin sensitivity to allergens (1).

Dermatitis is an underdiagnosed complication of venous ulceration and its treatment.

Dermatitis should be considered in any patient when an ulcer fails to heal.

Simple dermatitis may respond to barrier products such as zinc oxide, to emollients or topical steroids.

Allergic contact dermatitis is usually a reaction to topical antibiotics or components of the dressings

• patch testing may identify the offending compound
• modification of the dressing combined with topical steroids is usually an effective treatment

Reference:

1. Rai R, Shenoy MM, Viswanath V, Sarma N, Majid I, Dogra S. Contact sensitivity in patients with venous leg ulcer: A multi-centric Indian study. Int Wound J. 2018 Aug;15(4):618-622. doi: 10.1111/iwj.12905.