Hairdressers' occupational skin diseases in the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases in a period of 14 years

Background Hairdressers have a high risk of occupational contact dermatitis caused by exposure to wet work and allergens in hairdressing chemicals. Objectives To examine the distribution of diagnoses of occupational skin diseases (OSDs) and their main causes in hairdressers based on a national register data on occupational diseases. Methods We retrieved cases of recognized OSDs in hairdressers from the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases (FROD) in years 2005-2018. Results During the 14-year period, a total of 290 cases of recognized OSD in hairdressers were registered in the FROD. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) was diagnosed in 54%, irritant contact dermatitis in 44%, and contact urticaria (CU) in 5% of them. ACD was most commonly caused by hair dye products and their ingredients (N = 57), persulfates (N = 35), and preservatives (N = 35; mainly isothiazolinones). Acrylates emerged as hairdressers' occupational contact allergens (N = 8) probably due to introduction of structure nails into hair salons. Persulfates was the most common cause of CU. Conclusions ACD was the most common OSD in hairdressers. Our analysis confirms that preservatives are important causes of ACD in hairdressers in addition to hair dye products and persulfates. Acrylates emerged as hairdressers' occupational contact allergens, but contact allergy to perming agents remained rare.

Automated summary

Hairdressers have a high risk of occupational contact dermatitis, with allergic contact dermatitis being the most common cause, followed by irritant contact dermatitis and contact urticaria. Hair dye products, persulfates, and preservatives were identified as the main culprits causing allergic contact dermatitis in hairdressers.