Table 3. Measures adopted by participants and physicians to control occupational HE.

Measure	Examples
‘Medicine’ or treatments	Creams/ointment/emollients: • adjectives used: special, several, different, expensive, protective, oily, urea • ‘mixed’ by dermatologist or pharmacist • frequency: often, a lot, ‘like a maniac’, after work, after showering, not hesitating to use it • apply thickly (even when skin looks alright) or varying amounts according to state of skin • giving the skin ‘a treat’, in combination with cotton liners at night • having creams handy in flat (i. e. in different rooms), at workplace and in backpacks/bags • pay attention on quality, trying different drug store products
	Example quote: “(. . .) lots of creams, different strengths of cortisone, depending on the condition, how extreme it is at that point.” (B20)
	Others: • baths (e. g., black tea baths, saltwater baths, paraffin wax bath) • light therapy (e. g., PUVA therapy) • adjusting doses (either by physician or oneself), reducing the amount of creams used • taking pills • cortisone • antibiotics
Reducing the number of skin-irritating factors	• sick leave (also several weeks/months) • delegating (also at home, e. g., wet work) or rearranging tasks (e. g., to avoid wearing single use gloves), avoiding skin-irritating tasks (both at home and at work) • using skin protection products at work • washing one’s hair with gloves • ‘avoiding stuff’ in general, stop using disinfectants, less hand washing (only when necessary), avoiding substances one is reacting to, stop stroking cats, ‘only doing what you have to do’ • overall ‘adjusting’ of everyday life
	Example quote: “I talked to my wife about it like that, that I just leave out all these wet work at home.” (B24)
Gloves	• ‘extra special’, many different, rubber • when cutting vegetables at home/performing ‘certain’ tasks • cotton liners • receiving gloves from employer • reducing wearing times
	Example quote: “I wear gloves, but I don’t wear them too long either, so that I don’t sweat in them and so on.” (B32)
Measures concerning physicians or insurance	• (regularly) consult a physician (general practitioners, dermatologist, occupational physician, otolaryngologist physician), those who are familiar with one’s case, consult an ‘expert’ (on skin diseases) • change physician when not satisfied • report to the employer’s liability insurance association (Germany) • rehabilitation • allergy testing • taking skin samples • following treatment plan
	• Example quote: “I’m at the dermatologist quite often. So, every three, four weeks, I have appointments to check my skin.” (B9)
Others	• cooling/distracting oneself (especially when itchy)/ trying not to itch • less stress, more time for skin • protection plan/concept for skin protection at work • plasters on rhagades • protective equipment • seminars on skin protection • omit certain groceries/products (e. g., shampoos, exotic fruits, nuts) • skin-friendly cleaning product • avoid substances to find a cause • pay more attention to the skin