Lichen planus and acne provoked by gold.

A 58-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis developed lichen planus during treatment with gold. Four months after cessation of treatment, a severe acne with comedones, papules, pustules, and small cystic elements broke out. No connection could be demonstrated between the eruption and other drugs or chemicals. Acne provoked by gold seems not to have been described elsewhere. The case history confirms that gold treatment, even in the same patient, can give rise to a wide range of skin disturbances, which in many cases do not break out until long after the drug has been withdrawn.