Skin protection

When it comes to occupational safety, after implementing maximum technical, organisational and personal protective measures, skin protection substances are often the only way in many workplaces to reduce residual risks and hazards, such as from skin irritants. Hand eczema in so-called wet work mainly arises through repeat contact with various irritant substances, often detergents, dissolved in an aqueous solution.

In one research project by the DGUV (FP275), the protocol of which is used in our skin protection studies, a standardised, transferable model was developed which allows the efficacy of skin protection products to be tested, assessed and compared. To achieve this, the protective potential is ascertained, for example, against noxious chemicals. The measurement parameters here are transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and intensity of reddening (spectrophotometric measurement).