Hairdressing

Abstract

With regard to the exposure to irritants (and allergens, for that matter) work as a hairdresser comes quite close to controlled laboratory exposure, so well-defined is the range of products and their constituents, at least compared with most other occupations. The following chapter will outline the spectrum of irritants encountered during different occupational tasks, the pattern and course of irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) that may be caused by these, including epidemiological estimates on prevalence, incidence, and risk associated with certain occupational and nonoccupational factors, and finally deal with job-specific aspects of skin protection.