Eyeglass frame allergic contact dermatitis: does tacrolimus prevent recurrences?

Authors: Nakada, Tokio¹; Iijima, Masafumi¹; Maibach, Howard I.²

Source: Contact Dermatitis, Volume 53, Number 4, October 2005 , pp. 219-221(3)

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Abstract:

A 35-year-old man developed well-demarcated, oedematous and erosive erythematous lesions on the nasal bridge and retroauricular regions bilaterally. His eyeglass frame was repaired by an optician 2 weeks prior to symptom onset. Patch testing revealed a positive reaction to scrapings of nose pads and temples of the frame in petrolatum. Because the patient did not take our exhortation to change eyeglass frames, we advised him to cover their nose pads and temples with vinyl tape to prevent direct skin contact. Although topical corticosteroid therapy produced clinical resolution temporally, recurrences were not prevented. After starting tacrolimus ointment therapy, recurrence has not occurred for 9 months. Tacrolimus may be effective for allergic contact dermatitis patients who cannot avoid repeated allergen exposure, as it may not only reduce inflammation but inhibit recurrences.

Keywords: allergic contact dermatitis; eyeglass frame; tacrolimus ointment

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0105-1873.2005.00664.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Dermatology, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8666, Japan, and 2: Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

Publication date: 2005-10-01