Chloracne

Excerpt

Chloracne is an acneiform eruption caused by exposure to halogenated aromatic compounds. Dioxin is recognized as the most significant environmental chloracnegen but several are known as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Agent Orange is an infamous defoliant employed in the Vietnam War known to include traces of dioxin. Typical lesions include cysts, nodules, pustules, and open and closed comedones. The malar cheeks, postauricular skin, axillae, and groin are classically affected areas. Severity follows a typical dose-response relationship curve; there may be multisystem impairment of the eyes, liver, endocrine, and nervous systems with high-level exposure. Chloracne is also known as MADISH (Metabolizing Acquired Dioxin Induced Skin Hamartomas).