Printing
The printing industry has a rate of 71 cases of contact eczema in every
100,000 per year.
In 490 people working in the UK printing industry who reported having a skin complaint at some time, the most commonly-affected areas were the fingers and the webs between them.
Chemical, gas and petroleum plant operatives also have a high risk of contact eczema, with 45 cases per 100,000 per year.
Causes
Print workers who use chemicals, such as inks and washing up solutions, during the course of their work are at a higher risk of developing eczema than other workers.
Tips to protect your hands against eczema
If you work in the printing industry, there are some simple things you can do to help protect your hands against eczema:
- If possible, avoid chemicals that may cause hand eczema coming into contact with your skin
- Make sure that you wear protective gloves that are appropriate for the job, and that you use them correctly
- Protect your hands by moisturising them regularly with an emollient (soothing and softening skin product), but use a product that is free from fragrances and preservatives - the fewer ingredients, the better
If you haven’t done so already, why not complete the my hand eczema questionnaire to find out more about your hand eczema, and to let us know what type of work you do?
We will update the website to show how many people in different professions suffer from hand eczema. You could help other people in your profession find out whether their job is commonly linked to hand eczema and reassure them that they are not alone.