A relationship of perioral dermatitis to the misuse of topical corticosteroids (fluorinated or nonfluorinated) has been well established.12 Patients often reveal a history of an acute steroid-responsive eruption around the mouth, nose, and/or eyes that worsens when the topical corticosteroid is discontinued. Dependency on the use of the topical corticosteroid may develop as the patient repeatedly treats the recurrent eruption. In other cases, the condition may worsen with the application of topical corticosteroids, especially in the granulomatous variant of perioral dermatitis, which usually occurs in prepubertal children.2 Perioral dermatitis has been reported in patients using inhaled corticosteroids13 and with inadvertent facial exposure to topical corticosteroids.14 However, perioral dermatitis is not always linked to topical corticosteroids.9 The exact cause of perioral dermatitis in these other cases is unclear. Although isolated reports of affected siblings exist,2,15 no clear genetic predisposition has been noted, nor have specific environmental exposures been consistently implicated. Of note, the disease is predominant in young women, yet no link to hormonal causes has been found. The initial reports of photosensitivity by Frumess and Lewis6 were not further substantiated, nor were theories of microbiologic causes such as infection with Candida, fusiform bacteria, or Demodex folliculorum.16 Cases of allergic contact with fluorides or other components in toothpaste and dentifrices have also been reported, however, use of these agents after clearing of the perioral dermatitis without further eruption has also been described. Patch testing in a small series of patients led to few positive results, and these were not considered relevant.9