Novel nickel contact dermatitis in a patient taking isotretinoin.

There are many reports about contact dermatitis to nickel and side effects of isotretinoin, but the development of contact dermatitis to a previously tolerated allergen while taking isotretinoin is not well described. We report the case of a 19-year-old man who developed a new nickel allergy during isotretinoin treatment. We theorize that thinning of the stratum corneum by this medication allows for greater antigen presentation and thus sensitization to contact allergens.