Definition
Hairdressers are exposed to multiple allergens and irritants such as ingredients in hair colors, permanent wave, and bleaching products (Table 1). Moreover, the profession comes along with a great amount of wet work. Therefore, hairdressing is one of the occupations with the highest incidence of occupational skin diseases (OSD) leading to a high frequency of worker disability (Frosch and Rustemeyer 2000; Sosted 2011; van der Walle 2000). The annual prevalence of hand eczema among hairdressers is around 13–22 %, but underreporting is common. Many hairdressers develop OSD very early in their career, frequently already during apprenticeship (Valks et al. 2005). Up to 40–50 % of hairdressers leave the profession, which is mainly linked to OSD (Lysdal et al. 2011). A history of atopic dermatitis is the greatest endogenous risk factor for the development of OSD in hairdressers (Leino et al. 1998; van der Walle 2000).
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Brans, R. (2014). Hairdressers’ Occupational Skin Disease. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Ledford, D.K., Lockey, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_467
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