Facial Dermatitis of Unknown Cause

AN UNUSUAL and remarkably consistent disorder of the face, differing in a number of ways from those with a similar distribution, was described in a preliminary report. 1 During the past four years, 62 white females, aged 11 to 74 years, were seen with an eruption characterized by intense, nonpruritic erythema, faint scaling, and, occasionally, discrete and confluent papules, with distribution to the nasolabial folds, upper lip, chin, nose, and, infrequently, the forehead and malar areas. Often, the regions immediately adjacent to the lips were spared, and consequently there was a relative pallor of the circumoral region. The eruption characteristically was sudden in onset, remaining stationary after reaching a maximum spread in two or three days. Subjectively, there were few complaints. An occasional patient described mild itching or burning, but most sought relief from the cosmetic aspects of the disorder (Figure). Duration of the disease before treatment varied from one