J Cutan Pathol. 2000 Jul; 27(6): 301-5.

Silicone granuloma on the entry points of acupuncture, venepuncture and surgical needles.

Yanagihara M, Fujii T, Wakamatu N, Ishizaki H, Takehara T, Nawate K.

Dermatological Department of the Kanazawa Medical University, Japan.

We describe a case of epithelioid granuloma on the entry points of needles used for acupuncture, venepuncture and for taking skin biopsy. The acupuncture needles used at each session were silicone coated. Silicon was detected in the vacuoles of macrophages and multiple nucleated giant cells by X-ray microanalysis. To our knowledge, this is the first case of silicone granuloma arising on the entry points of acupuncture, venepuncture and surgical needles.