Effectiveness of a hand care regimen with moisturizer in manufacturing facilities where workers are prone to occupational irritant dermatitis.

BACKGROUND

Limited information documents the prevention and treatment benefits of a hand care regimen using moisturizer in a controlled manner for employees in typical manufacturing situations.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive skin care program including skin conditioning lotion in multiple manufacturing environments where employees are at high risk for skin disease.

METHODS

A randomized trial test design with multiple measures, including skin bioengineering measurement techniques, visual grading, and self-assessment questionnaires, was used to broadly characterize skin condition.

RESULTS

Comparison of the change in the skin condition of workers using the full hand care regimen with moisturizer versus a control group using a regimen without moisturizer demonstrated significant (p < .05) improvements in multiple measures after 1 to 2 weeks. Corneometer readings consistently showed significant improvement for employees using moisturizer, regardless of their work location.

CONCLUSION

Improved skin condition resulted from the regular use of an effective skin conditioning hand moisturizer as part of a skin care regimen in work environments in which workers were prone to experiencing occupational irritant contact dermatitis.