In his farewell address to the nation, in 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned about the rising influence of the military establishment and the arms industry. "The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists," the President said, referring to the military-industrial complex, "and will persist." 1 Forty years after that speech, as I began my dermatology residency, another complex with potential for misplaced power was ascending: the dermatology-industrial complex. Topical calcineurin inhibitors for atopic dermatitis and biologic drugs for psoriasis had just arrived, and marketing efforts werepardon the pun-on steroids.Industry was my partner, I was taught, as I learned to be a dermatologist. Indeed, I learned by reading textbooks and journals gifted to me by pharmaceutical companies and their representatives; attended lectures by drug company reps and industry-paid "thought leaders" at industry-sponsored events; provided patients with prescription and nonprescription drug samples from closets stocked by drug company reps, who also offered freebies for personal use ("You can have a lifetime supply," one would promise, referring to his company's moisturizers. "You just can't have it all at once!"); and went to the American Academy of Dermatology's (AAD) annual meeting-itself underwritten in large part by industry "partners"courtesy of pharmaceutical companies, which during the days distributed not only free samples but also companymonogrammed bags in which to carry them, and during the evenings hosted lavish parties, with free booze and, occasionally, a performance by a B-list celebrity (no offense, Pat Benatar; thanks for rocking out during the AAD meeting in New Orleans in 2002).In the years since I completed residency, the pendulum has in some ways swung in the other direction. I now decline free lunches, swag, party invitations, and other goodies offered by pharmaceutical companies. Many institutionsincluding Kaiser Permanente, where I work-have banned prescription drug samples and drug company-sponsored lunches. More broadly, the Institute of Medicine has recommended policies and procedures to mitigate conflicts of interest (COIs) arising from physician-industry interactions in medical research, education, and practice. 2 What about industry influence in dermatology clinical practice guidelines (CPGs)? Industry ties among CPG contributors have been reported, 3 and a study by Checketts et al 4 published in this issue of JAMA Dermatology seeks to address that