Beard dermatitis due to para-phenylenediamine use in Arabic men

The most common active ingredient in hair coloring is pam-phenylenediamine (PPDA), which can produce contact dermatitis, particularly in persons who d ye their scalp hair and in hairdressers. We have identified another group o f patients also at risk, namely men from Arab countries, who commonly grow beards and dye them. We searched the computerized patient database at the M ayo Clinic for patients with beard dermatitis associated with dye use. Eigh t Arabic men presented to the Mayo Clinic between 1994 and 1999 with beard dermatitis and a positive patch test to PPDA. The lesions were described as pruritic, erythematous, papular eruptions that developed in the law area a fter each application of beard dye. The symptoms subsided after the patient s discontinued use of the PPDA-containing dye and received treatment with t opical corticosteroids. Allergic contact dermatitis in the beard area due t o PPDA occurs in Arabic men as a result of their propensity to dye their be ards.