title: Eyeglass frame allergic contact dermatitis: does tacrolimus prevent recurrences?
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8666, Japan. tokio@med.showa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tokio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakada
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Howard I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Maibach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005139:Eyeglasses / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009824:Ointments; D010328:Patch Tests; D010655:Phenylenediamines / Q000009:adverse effects; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D009824:Ointments; D010655:Phenylenediamines; C029728:4-phenylenediamine; D016559:Tacrolimus