New and exotic wooden toilet seats and more frequent use of cleaners with harsh chemicals seem to be contributing to a new wave of toilet seat dermatitis, a condition which was once considered as completely wiped out from the US.

A new research has revealed that there have been, very recently, five new cases of toilet seat dermatitis in children, some of who continued to suffer with the condition for years before getting a proper diagnosis and treatment.

“Toilet seat dermatitis is one of those legendary conditions described in medical textbooks and seen in underdeveloped countries, but one that younger pediatricians have not come across in their daily practice. If our small analysis is any indication of what’s happening, we need to make sure the condition is on every pediatrician’s radar", said researcher Bernard Cohen.

Dr. Cohen is the Director of Pediatric Dermatology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Toilet seat dermatitis, a condition first recognized in 1927, is characterized by skin irritation and rashes around the buttocks and upper thighs. If left untreated for long, doctors say it can lead to highly painful and persistent skin eruptions which furiously itch.