Vitamin B12: A causal agent of acneiform eruption

Abstract

Introduction Acneiform eruptions constitute a group of disorders in the dermatological field characterized by the appearance of skin lesions in the form of papules and pustules induced by the exogenous administration of certain pharmaceutical compounds including vitamin B12. Objective: to describe acneiform eruptions and analyze their relationship with vitamin B12. Materials and method: a qualitative review was carried out in “Scielo, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct Cochrane”, with terms that appear in the Health Sciences descriptor (DeCS) and in Medical Subject Heading (MESH), articles that comply the inclusion criteria for the years 2019-2023 with Q1-Q4 quartiles according to the “Scimago Journal Ranking”. Results: high levels of vitamin B12 in the body due to its administration as a nutritional supplement have as one of its unwanted adverse effects the appearance of acne-like eruptions in susceptible patients. Discussion: treatment and management depend on the patient's context and may be from drug discontinuation to the need for additional therapy with antibiotics or retinoids to achieve complete resolution of the lesion and avoid relapses. Conclusions: it’s important to properly diagnose acneiform rash secondary to pharmacological therapies such as vitamin B12 to avoid unnecessary use of anti-acne therapies and direct treatment towards the triggering cause.