Prevalence of contact dermatitis in Casablanca hairdressers.

Hairdressing is one of the leading causes of occupational dermatoses due to the multiple toxic agents, the constant innovation of hair care products a nd the particular working conditions which do not always allow effective pr evention. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sk in diseases fn Casablanca hairdressers, to study the various clinical forms , to identify possible predisposing factors and to assess the efficacy or a t least the adoption of preventive measures. This study was conducted from July to September 1997 among hairdressers (59 women and 36 men) working in 39 hairdressing salons for women. The protocol included a standardized medi cal questionnaire, clinical examination of the skin and skin patch-tests in those subjects presenting with eczema. 87.3% of the population presented d ermatological lesions: irritation dermatitis (48.27%), allergic dermatitis (10.34%), traumatic dermatosis (callosity, burn or scar) (29.31%) and nail lesions (thin and/or deformed nails) (12.06%). Lesions predominantly affect ed the dorsum of the hands (31.7%) and fingers (40.7%). Early onset of thes e dermatoses was observed in 78.9% of affected subjects (before the 3(rd) y ear = duration of apprenticeship). Atopy is a predictive factor for the dev elopment of irritation dermatitis (75% versus 42.5%; p<0.01) but not for al lergic dermatitis (16.6% versus 8.8%; 3%; non-significant difference). Hype rhidrosis is also a predictive factor for the development of irritation or allergic dermatitis. Non-occupational factors, such as household or leisure activities, do not have any influence on the development of dermatitis. Th e prevalence of dermatitis in people not wearing gloves and those irregular ly or regularly wearing gloves was 85.7%, 80.3% and 50%, respectively (p<0. 01). 48.42% of hairdressers used a moisturizing cream. These results confir m those reported in the literature and emphasize the need for more effectiv e prevention.