Periorbital allergic contact dermatitis resulting from topical retinoic acid use.

Contact dermatitis to topical tretinoin or retinoic acid is rarely described. We outline the case of a 20-year-old woman presenting with bilateral periorbital dermatitis against the background of longstanding use of retinoic acid for the ocular complications of toxic epidermal necrolysis. Patch testing confirmed a contact allergy to retinoic acid and the symptoms of the dermatitis resolved after the cessation of retinoic acid.