RT Book, Section
A1 Zhu, Yan I.
A2 Alam, Murad
A2 Bhatia, Ashish C.
A2 Kundu, Roopal V.
A2 Yoo, Simon S.
A2 Chan, Henry Hin-Lee
SR Print(0)
ID 1175119196
T1 Postinflammatory Hyperpigmentation
T2 Cosmetic Dermatology for Skin of Color
YR 2009
FD 2009
PB McGraw Hill Medical
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071487764
LK dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1175119196
RD 2024/04/24
AB Postinflammatory  hyperpigmentation  (PIH)  primarily  affects  dark-skinned  individuals  (Fitzpatrick  Skin  Phototype  III  through  VI)  or  lighter-skinned  individuals  with  dark  irides  and  has  no  gender  predilection  (Figure  17.1).  With  the  increasing  ethnic  diversity  of  the  United  States,  dermatologists  will  encounter  more  inquiry  about  PIH.  Postinflammatory  hyperpigmentation  often  leads  to  anxiety  in  individuals,  which  is  sometimes  out  of  proportion  to  the  severity  of  the  condition.  This  anxiety  is  aggravated  by  the  fact  that  there  is  no  quickly  effective  treatment  other  than  cosmetic  cover-ups.  Frequently  patients  are  more  concerned  about  the  dyschromia  and  not  aware  of  the  inflammatory  condition  that  is  causing  PIH  (Table  17.1,  Figure  17.2).  The  definition  of  postinflammatory  hyperpigmentation,  as  its  name  implies,  is  very  straightforward.  Other  names  used  for  PIH  include  postinflammatory  melanoderma.  There  are  only  a  few  conditions  such  as  melasma,  solar  lentigo,  and  drug-induced  hyperpigmentation  that  may  mimic  PIH.  Melasma  tends  to  be  macular  and  has  uniform  intensity  and  well-defined  borders,  while  PIH  tends  to  follow  the  shape  and  distribution  of  the  preceding  inflammation  and  has  irregular  pigmentation  intensity  and  indistinct  or  feathered  borders.  Solar  lentigo  appears  on  the  sun-exposed  area  of  a  person,  typically  the  face,  dorsal  arms,  and  hands.  Drug-induced  hyperpigmentation  should  be  suspected  in  individual  who  have  taken  such  medications  as  minocycline,  chloroquine,  bleomycin,  mercury,  or  amiodarone.  The  pigmentation  tends  to  be  symmetrically  distributed  and  may  not  correlate  with  preceding  inflammation.  In  the  author's  opinion,  hyperpigmentation  at  the  site  of  fixed  drug  eruption  should  be  categorized  as  PIH.