Prevention in dermatology

• Primary prevention: eliminating factors considered to be detrimental to health before they become effective.
• Secondary prevention: ensuring the earliest possible diagnosis and treatment of diseases through screening.
• Tertiary prevention: limiting or compensating for the consequences of diseases, e.g. as rehabilitation.

• Secondary prevention: The aim of secondary prevention in dermatology is the early recognition of the first skin symptoms or sensitisation, using all the possibilities of appropriate early intervention. In practice, the dermatological procedure is of central importance for the secondary prevention of occupational dermatoses. This procedure enables the dermatologist to recommend so-called § 3 measures. He can concretely suggest improvements of the working conditions or request the technical supervisory service of the employer's liability insurance association to check the workplace conditions and if necessary to optimize them under occupational safety aspects. There are also possibilities to initiate concrete skin protection measures. Within the scope of the dermatologist's report, outpatient and, in particularly severe cases, inpatient treatment may be suggested. Secondary prevention requires specific dermatological and often allergological diagnostics, a medical sensitivity for the psychological implications of eczema.
• Tertiary prevention: Tertiary prevention in dermatology aims at improving the clinical picture, e.g. in the case of an already existing occupational dermatosis. A further deterioration should be prevented or delayed. Recurrences should be avoided. Measures for tertiary prevention can be initiated within the dermatological procedure as well as after recognition of an occupational dermatosis as occupational disease. Tertiary prevention comprises outpatient or inpatient curative measures with health pedagogical training and psychosocial measures. Their aim is to limit the extent of the skin changes and to eliminate them if possible.

Preventive measures play an important role in many areas of medicine (e.g. allergy prevention; see below: Prevention in medicine).

1. Guideline of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAI) in cooperation with the German Dermatological Society (DDG), Action Alliance for Allergy Prevention. AWMF Guideline Register No. 061/016
2. Schwanitz HJ (2003) Prevention measures. In: Schwanitz HJ et al (Hrsg) expert opinion dermatology. Steinkopf, Darmstadt, S. 17-31