This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
Recently I have seen 2 patients with dermatitis due to the use of lipstick in metallic containers, both of whom were able to use lipstick in plastic containers. As far as I have been able to determine, similar instances have not been mentioned in the dermatologic literature.
The first patient, Mrs. M. K., a telephone operator, had consulted me five years previously for a contact dermatitis of the hands, which proved to be due to the handling of metal plugs used on the switchboard.
The second patient, Miss B. H., had consulted me two years previously for a contact dermatitis of the wrist, which proved to be due to a metal bracelet.
Both patients were given patch tests with lipstick taken from several metallic and plastic containers, and in both cases positive reactions were elicited with the lipstick from metallic containers and negative reactions with that from plastic containers.
The