Clinical profile of 300 men with facial hypermelanosis

Abstract

Background: Facial hypermelanosis is a significant cause of cosmetic disfigurement, social embarrassment and psychological morbidity affecting quality of life.Objective: To study clinicoepidemlogic patterns of facial hypermelanoses among men. Material and Methods:Medical records of all adult males presenting with facial hypermelanoses were analyzed for this retrospective cross sectional study for demographic details, duration, cosmetic usage, sun exposure, drug intake, infections, systemic or cutaneous diseases, and family history of hypermelanotic dermatosis. Laboratory investigations and skin biopsy were performed when deemed necessary.Results: These were 300 Indian men aged 18 to 74 (mean 37.35) years with 121 (40.3%) individuals aged 31-50 years. Various patterns of melasma in 230 (76.7%) patients were the major cause of facial hypermelanosis. Periorbital hypermelanosis was observed in 32 (10.7%), freckles and lentigens in 26 (8.7%), acanthosis nigricans in 12 (4%) and lichen planus pigmentosus in 10 (3.3%), pigmented cosmetic contact dermatitis in 7, and nevus of Ota in 6 persons. The 71 (30.8%) patients with melasma had a history of frequent sun exposure, 9 (3.9%) patients had systemic comorbidities. Family history of periorbital melanosis was present in 7 (21.8%), personal or family history of atopy in 5 (15.6%) patients. Acanthosis nigricans was associated with obesity in 9 (75%) of patients and with diabetes mellitus in 4 (33.3%) cases.Conclusions: Melasma, periorbital hypermelanosis, acanthosis nigricans and lichen planus pigmentosus remain the predominant causes for facial hypermelanosis in men.

A clinical study of facial dermatoses

“…They included only male patients. 6 They collected data on various factors. Skin biopsy was also carried out.…”

“…The authors concluded that the most common causes of facial hypermelanoses were melasma. 6 Isidore et al carried out a study on facial dermatoses over a period of five years. 7 During this period a total of 7898 cases were seen who were above the age of 18 years.…”

Clinical spectrum of facial hypermelanosis: a descriptive study from a tertiary care centre

“…6 In this study on facial melanosis, post inflammatory pigmentation 362 (35.3%) was the commonest cause followed by melasma 177 (17.2%). This contradicts with the study conducted by shah et al and Gupta et al 6,7 They concluded that the melasma was the most common cause among facial melanosis. According to shah et al found PIH was the second most cause for facial melanosis.…”

An unusual cause of facial melanosis – a wolf in disguise!

“…Facial melanosis is a great cosmetic concern especially among women, resulting in significant social embarrassment and psychological distress. It might arise from diverse conditions such as melasma, lichen planus pigmentosus, and Riehl’s melanosis, to name a few . Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematous (CCLE) has rarely been implicated as an etiological factor in facial melanosis.…”

“…The classical discoid lesions of CCLE have been described as erythematous plaques with thick, adherent scales which subsequently heal with atrophy and depigmentation. Many unusual morphological variants such as lichen planus‐like, verrucous, and EM‐like have been reported . CCLE presenting with facial melanosis is rare; George et al in their series had observed that one fourth of the patients (seven out of 28) with CCLE presented with hyperpigmented lesions .…”