Gold, Glitter-Like Appearance of a Neonatal Scalp Wound

This report describes the case of a 2-month-old female, born prematurely at 25 weeks as part of a twin gestation, who developed an adhesive-related traumatic ulcer on the scalp during NICU admission for postnatally acquired cytomegalovirus infection. Following routine wound care with topical gentian violet, the wound developed an unexpected gold, glitter-like hue overlying the ulcer bed, initially raising concern that an additional topical product had been applied or that an interaction between applied agents had occurred. After further investigation, the striking appearance was attributed to a combination of thin-film optical interference, environment-dependent spectral shifts, and partial conversion of crystal violet to its reduced leuco (colorless) form. Recognition of this benign physicochemical phenomenon is clinically important, as awareness that this finding represents an optical property of gentian violet itself may prevent unnecessary diagnostic escalation, including repeat biopsies or empiric antimicrobial therapy.