title: Effect of glove occlusion on the skin barrier.
abstract: Wet work tasks are the most common exposures leading to occupational irritant contact dermatitis. Use of liquid-proof gloves is recommended when performing wet work, however, gloves may also contribute to impairment of the skin barrier and development of irritant contact dermatitis. The aim of this study is to review the literature on the effects of glove occlusion on skin barrier function. The PubMed database was searched up to 1 February 2015 for articles on the association between glove occlusion and skin barrier function, including human studies only and in English. Only experimental studies including assessment of the skin barrier function were included in the data analysis. Thirteen articles were identified, 8 with focus on occlusion alone, 7 with focus on occlusion in combination with irritant exposure (some overlapping), and 2 field studies. In conclusion, data from the literature showed that the negative effect of occlusion in itself is limited, and that only extensive and long-term occlusion will cause barrier impairment. However, studies investigating combined effect of occlusion and exposure to soaps/detergents indicate that occlusion significantly enhances the skin barrier damage caused by detergents/soaps in a dose-response fashion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2400, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tiedemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2400, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Maja Lisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Clausen
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Environmental Medicine, Health Theory, Lower Saxoninan Institute of Occupational Dermatology, University of Osnabrueck, D-49069, Osnabrueck, Germany.
authors.forename: Swen Malthe
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: John
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, 23538, Lübeck, Germany.|Centre for Comprehensive Inflammation Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, 23538, Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Angelova-Fischer
authors.affiliation: Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, Academic Medical Centre, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kezic
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2400, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Tove
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Agner
mesh_terms: D017453:Dermatitis, Irritant / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004817:Epidermis / Q000502:physiology; D017575:Gloves, Protective / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: gloves; non-invasive measuring methods; skin barrier function; wet work