Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case report

Neck cellulitis occurs as a result of dental, pharyngeal or ear infections or following trauma, but rarely via a cutaneous entry point. A 34-year-old female patient consulted with a left-sided, painful cervical swelling with limited head rotation and trismus, accompanied by a painful, oozing, retroa...

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Main Authors: Rémy Hamdan, Cyrielle Chea, Maxime Brisson, Jules Coeur, Carmen Cortes Espejo, Camille Leleu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-02-01
Series:SAGE Open Medical Case Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2050313X251324310
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author Rémy Hamdan
Cyrielle Chea
Maxime Brisson
Jules Coeur
Carmen Cortes Espejo
Camille Leleu
author_facet Rémy Hamdan
Cyrielle Chea
Maxime Brisson
Jules Coeur
Carmen Cortes Espejo
Camille Leleu
author_sort Rémy Hamdan
collection DOAJ
description Neck cellulitis occurs as a result of dental, pharyngeal or ear infections or following trauma, but rarely via a cutaneous entry point. A 34-year-old female patient consulted with a left-sided, painful cervical swelling with limited head rotation and trismus, accompanied by a painful, oozing, retroauricular contact dermatitis (CD). Clinical examination confirmed the left cervical cellulitis with superinfected retroauricular CD. A computed tomography scan of the neck revealed no abscess. Systemic antibiotic therapy against streptococci and staphylococci for 8 days, combined with hygiene care for the CD lesions and the avoidance of glasses with metal frames, resulted in complete recovery without recurrence. Patch tests revealed sensitization to several metals, particularly nickel. Eyeglasses may cause allergic CD, an inflammatory skin disease caused by a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. Metal spectacle frames are particularly prone to causing CD, mainly due to the presence of nickel. Because of the skin breakdown it entails, spectacle frames’ CD may lead to skin infections and neck cellulitis. Spectacle frame CD should be investigated in patients presenting with retroauricular eczema. To our knowledge, the case of neck cellulitis induced by spectacle frame-allergic CD has never been reported.
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spelling doaj-art-0139702d74a947a8a7123dfea4ee83332025-08-20T03:05:01ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open Medical Case Reports2050-313X2025-02-011310.1177/2050313X251324310Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case reportRémy Hamdan0Cyrielle Chea1Maxime Brisson2Jules Coeur3Carmen Cortes Espejo4Camille Leleu5Department of Vascular Medicine, Macon Hospital Centre, Mâcon, FranceDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Macon Hospital Centre, Mâcon, FranceDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Macon Hospital Centre, Mâcon, FranceIMADIS Téléradiologie, Lyon, FranceDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Macon Hospital Centre, Mâcon, FranceDepartment of Dermatology, Dijon University Hospital, Dijon, FranceNeck cellulitis occurs as a result of dental, pharyngeal or ear infections or following trauma, but rarely via a cutaneous entry point. A 34-year-old female patient consulted with a left-sided, painful cervical swelling with limited head rotation and trismus, accompanied by a painful, oozing, retroauricular contact dermatitis (CD). Clinical examination confirmed the left cervical cellulitis with superinfected retroauricular CD. A computed tomography scan of the neck revealed no abscess. Systemic antibiotic therapy against streptococci and staphylococci for 8 days, combined with hygiene care for the CD lesions and the avoidance of glasses with metal frames, resulted in complete recovery without recurrence. Patch tests revealed sensitization to several metals, particularly nickel. Eyeglasses may cause allergic CD, an inflammatory skin disease caused by a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. Metal spectacle frames are particularly prone to causing CD, mainly due to the presence of nickel. Because of the skin breakdown it entails, spectacle frames’ CD may lead to skin infections and neck cellulitis. Spectacle frame CD should be investigated in patients presenting with retroauricular eczema. To our knowledge, the case of neck cellulitis induced by spectacle frame-allergic CD has never been reported.https://doi.org/10.1177/2050313X251324310
spellingShingle Rémy Hamdan
Cyrielle Chea
Maxime Brisson
Jules Coeur
Carmen Cortes Espejo
Camille Leleu
Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case report
SAGE Open Medical Case Reports
title Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case report
title_full Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case report
title_fullStr Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case report
title_full_unstemmed Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case report
title_short Neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames’ contact dermatitis: A case report
title_sort neck cellulitis complicating spectacle frames contact dermatitis a case report
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2050313X251324310
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