Cumulative irritant contact dermatitis treated with individualised homoeopathic medicine – An evidence-based case report

Cumulative irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) is caused by multiple episodes of sub-threshold irritant exposure, which, in consequence, disrupts the epidermal barrier, leading to its clinical presentation. A 47-year-old woman presented with maculopapular eruptions and scaling with oozing of white sticky discharge involving the hands and arms. She was diagnosed with cumulative ICD. The patient was treated with individualised homoeopathic medicine using repertorisation, the totality of symptoms and synthesising the results with the theory of elements and the periodic table. Follow-ups were conducted every month, evaluating progress using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). At the start of the treatment, the patient reported a VAS score of 07, indicating severe itching. However, after 2 months, this score decreased to 1. To evaluate the response of homoeopathic treatment, the Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homoeopathy-causal attribution inventory were also utilised. This case highlights the effectiveness of individualised homoeopathic medicines in alleviating cumulative ICD. Extensive reporting of similar cases and double-blind placebo-controlled research should be conducted to establish the practical implications of individualised homoeopathic treatment in cumulative ICD.