Treatment of post-inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) in Caucasians (For Professionals)

• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is located in the dermis. Wood’s lamp is useful to diffrentiate with other pigmentary disorders such as melasma (chloasma, pregnancy mask)
• Causes include:

1. infections
2. allergies
3. mechanical factors or trauma
4. phototoxic and photoallergic (cosmetics) reactions
5. inflammatory skin conditions (lichen planus, Systemic Lupus Eythematosus (SLE))

Treatment:

• the condition is spontaneously resolutive over a few months
• Sunprotection is advised (Physical sunscreens are better as they protect against all visible light)
• Tretinoin can be used to treat post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (but it can worsen the problem if it causes irritation):

1. it is also used to treat Melasma and Lentigenes.
2. Note that its action is to depigmentent pigmented skin and it will not depigment normal skin.

Contributors:

Dr Christophe HSU – dermatologist. Geneva, Switzerland

Source of Information: 2012 (09) – Placek W. 21st Annual Congress of the EADV (European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology) – Prague (Praha), Czech Republic (česká republika)