Hairdressers presenting to an occupational dermatology clinic in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Background. Hairdressers constitute one of the largest occupational groups attending our occupational dermatology clinic in Melbourne, Australia. Objectives. To perform a retrospective review of the clinical assessments of hairdressers and trainee hairdressers attending our clinic, including patch testing results. Patients/materials/methods. We used our clinic database to identify trainee and qualified hairdressers who had attended our occupational dermatology clinic between January 1993 and December 2010. Results. One hundred and sixty-four hairdressers and hairdressing apprentices were identified. One hundred and fifty-seven had a diagnosis of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD), with al..