Tolerability of Medical Gloves from a Contemporary Perspective

Skin Irritations Irritant hand eczemas are local skin irritations caused by cleaning agents, frequent hand washing, inadequate hand drying, aggressive hand disinfection methods, glove powder, and the occlusive effect when wearing gloves. In the health sector, such hand eczemas are widespread with a prevalence of 23-44%, whereby the surgical and internal medicine areas are most commonly affected [2,3]. In the nursing profession, the prevalence is 17-30% [4]. Significantly, skin irritations can promote the development of contact and latex allergies. Therefore consistent hand care is imperative, and the use of powderfree gloves can make a major contribution towards the prevention of allergies, because glove powder not only has a frictional effect powdered gloves almost always have an alkaline pH value [5]. This can damage the skin’s acid protection layer, and damaged skin is an open door for allergens. According to one study, about every fourth individual with hand eczema developed an allergy, whilst this is only the case in 1% of individuals without hand eczema [6]. Tolerability of Medical Gloves from a Contemporary Perspective