ABSTRACT
One important skin function is protecting us from environmental toxicity. This is evident in certain occupations where there is constant exposure to hazardous substances. Precautionary measures such as glove use minimizes the risk of incurring contact dermatitis (CD), though at times the gloves themselves may cause this skin disease. Barrier creams (BCs) may play an important role in the prevention of CD (1-6), and various in vitro and in vivo methods have been developed to evaluate their efficacy. In practice, their utilization remains the subject of a lively debate; some suggest that the inappropriate BC application may exacerbate rather than prevent irritation (1-3,6-9). The accuracy of measurements depends on the use of appropriate methodology.
