Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2024 Sep 3;38(1):91-93.
doi: 10.1080/08998280.2024.2392472. eCollection 2025.

Vitamin B12-induced acneiform eruption

Jacob J Owen  1 , Ronnie M Youssef  2 , Kirstin Altman  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Vitamin B12-induced acneiform eruption

Jacob J Owen et al. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). .

Abstract

Cutaneous acneiform eruptions are a side effect of many medications, including vitamin B12 therapy. However, reports of vitamin B12-induced acne are rare. We present a 67-year-old woman with a new diagnosis of pernicious anemia who developed a sudden acneiform eruption on the face after treatment with high-dose vitamin B12. Other medications that have been implicated in drug-induced acne include but are not limited to steroids, antibiotics, immunosuppressants, biologics, and vitamin B1 and B6. The pathogenesis is likely due to a transcriptome change in Propionibacterum acnes, the organism responsible for acne vulgaris. Cessation of the offending agent leads to a regression in symptoms.

Keywords: Acne vulgaris; drug-induced acne; vitamin B12.

Plain language summary

Several medications have been implicated in causing drug-induced acne, including steroids, oral contraceptives, and vitamin B12.First-line treatment of drug-induced acne is cessation of the drug.The pathogenesis likely involves upregulated porphyrins, which increase inflammation.Differences between drug-induced acne and acne vulgaris include the absence of comedones and cysts.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The planners and faculty for this activity have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. The authors report no funding. The patient consented to publication of this case report.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Diffuse, erythematous, papular acneiform eruption present on the medial forehead, nose, bilateral cheeks, and chin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bahbouhi I, Aboudourib M, Hocar O, Amal S.. Vitamin B12 induced acneiform eruption. Heliyon. 2023;9(5):e16120. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16120. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Veraldi S, Benardon S, Diani M, Barbareschi M.. Acneiform eruptions caused by vitamin B12: a report of five cases and review of the literature. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2018;17(1):112–115. doi:10.1111/jocd.12360. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zamil DH, Perez-Sanchez A, Katta R.. Acne related to dietary supplements. Dermatol Online J. 2020;26(8):13030/qt9rp7t2p2. - PubMed
    1. Karadag AS, Tutal E, Ertugrul DT, Akin KO.. Effect of isotretinoin treatment on plasma holotranscobalamin, vitamin B12, folic acid, and homocysteine levels: non-controlled study. Int J Dermatol. 2011;50(12):1564–1569. doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2011.05027.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kang D, Shi B, Erfe MC, Craft N, Li H.. Vitamin B12 modulates the transcriptome of the skin microbiota in acne pathogenesis. Sci Transl Med. 2015;7(293):293ra103. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aab2009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources