[Severe contact dermatitis caused by mephenesin].

Mephenesin is a muscle relaxant, mostly applied locally in trauma. It is a component of Traumalgyl cream in association with phenylbutazone. Contact dermatitis due to mephenesin is exceptional. We report here a case of a woman who developed after application of Traumalgyl cream purpuric dermatitis, erythema multiforme-like and urticarial lesions. Patch-tests were strongly positive (+ + +) for both Traumalgyl cream and mephenesin and (+) for phenylbutazone. Improvement of the lesions was observed within 3 weeks. Physicians must be aware of the risk of severe contact dermatitis after application of products including mephenesin because of their widely prescription.