No abstract available.
Melanosis*

Melanosis

No abstract available.
Melanoma* ; Melanosis*

Melanosis ; Vitiligo

Background: Melasma is an acquired hyperpigmentary disorder occurring on sun-exposed areas of the face and neck. There is little information on its prevalence, epidemiology and clinical characteristics in the Philippines. Objective: To determine the prevalence, epidemiology and clinical characteristics of melasma in Philippine dermatology patients. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study conducted from July to December 2013. The investigators determined the prevalence of melasma in 12,068 dermatology patients from six government hospitals and private clinics in Metro Manila, Philippines. The melasma patients, aged 18 years and above, were given self-administered questionnaires with topics related to demographic information and medical history. They were also examined by the investigators (dermatologists) to determine the clinical profile of their melasma. Results: Of the 12,068 dermatology patients who were seen at the selected hospitals and private clinics, 153 (1.26%) were clinically diagnosed with melasma. A majority of the melasma patients were Filipinos (73.20%), aged 41-50 years old (37.91%), with an average age of 42.40 + 9.68 years, and Fitzpatrick skin types III and IV (29.41% and 57.52%, respectively). Melasma was more prevalent in females (81.70%), most of whom had prior history of pregnancy (76.8%). Oral contraceptive use was also reported in 37.6% of the female patients from which 63.83% have used it for only 1 year or less. A majority had no coexisting thyroid disease (75.16%) and daily sun exposure was limited to 1 hour or less for most patients (43.14%). Their melasma was mostly malar in distribution (60.13%), epidermal (61.44%), and mild (51.63%) to moderate (27.45%) in severity. The average mMASI score was 4.63 + 3.32. Conclusion The prevalence of melasma was low among Philippine dermatology patients sampled. A majority of the melasma patients were Filipinos, aged 41-50 years old, with Fitzpatrick skin type IV, limited sun exposure, and no coexisting thyroid disease. They were mostly females with a prior history of pregnancy. Their melasma was mostly malar in location, epiderma type, and mild in severity. These descriptive data can serve as baseline information for further studies on melasma in the Philippines.
Melanosis ; Philippines

No abstract available.
Fibroblast Growth Factor 7* ; Humans* ; Hyperpigmentation* ; Keratinocytes* ; Lentigo* ; Melanosis*

BACKGROUND: Melasma, a common chronic pigmentary disorder, is resistant to various treatments. Recently, pulse-in-pulse type of intense pulsed light (PIP IPL) has been introduced as a treatment for melasma. It can emit multiple peaks during one pulse wave to deliver photothermal energy more effectively with gentle and even low energy so that complications are minimal. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of PIP IPL to low-fluence, multi-pass, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of facial melasma. METHODS: Fifteen female patients with melasma who had Fitzpatrick skin type III or IV were enrolled in this study between November 2014 and April 2015. Patients underwent 6 sessions of treatment at an interval of 1 week. One half of each patient's face was treated with 2 passes of PIP IPL with a fluence of 13~15 J/cm₂. The other half of the face was treated with 4 passes of Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser with a fluence of 1.6~1.8 J/cm₂. Results were evaluated at every visit, including modified Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) score, subject's global assessment, and investigator's global assessment. RESULTS: Modified MASI scores were significantly (p<0.05) reduced in both groups after 6 treatment sessions. Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser treatment was more effective than PIP IPL for the treatment of melasma, although the two treatments did not significantly (p=0.44) differ in effectiveness. However, the discomfort levels of patients in the PIP IPL group following procedures were significantly lower compared to those in the Q-Switched Nd:YAG group. CONCLUSION: The current investigation demonstrated that PIP IPL treatment for melasma in Korean women was not inferior to collimated low fluence Q-switched Nd:YAG laser treatment.
Female ; Humans ; Melanosis* ; Skin

No abstract available.
Melanosis* ; Tranexamic Acid*

No abstract available.
Lasers, Dye* ; Melanosis*

OBJECTIVETo discribe the characteristic dermoscopic features of melasma.

METHODSTotally 20 patients with typical clinical presentations of melasma were included in this study. The melasma lesion and its surrounding normal skin were evaluated using dermatoscope.

RESULTSMelasma lesions manifested light yellow brown uniform patches in all patients, among whom dark brown patches were found in 19 patients, capillary network in 14 patients,and coarse hair in 6 patients. In contrast, no light yellow brown uniform patch was found in the normal skin in all patients (P<0.001), among whom dark brown patches were found in 10 patients (P<0.001), capillary network in 12 patients (P>0.05), and coarse hair in 2 patients (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONLight yellow brown uniform patches and dark brown patches are two major dermoscopic features of melasma.