Abstract

A REVIEW ON "MELASMA: A CUTANEOUS PIGMENTARY DISORDER WITH GLOBAL PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS"

Mrityunjoy Mondal*, Poonam Pant and Mahendra Rana

ABSTRACT

Chloasma or Melasma, also referred to as the mask of pregnancy is a cutaneous pigmentary disorder affecting the face, forearms and back. It has a global prevalence of about 1% with higher rates in darker skin types, particularly in Latin America, south - East Asian and South Asian ethnicities. In present time melasma affects 15% - 50% of pregnant individuals with population range from 1.5% -33%. Genetic predisposition, exposure to UV radiation, hormonal factors, pregnancy and drug like phenytoin are risk factors. Melasma treatment currently includes, chemical peels, lasers, lights, oral, topical approaches, the gold standard for hydroquinone creams. Some new topical agents currently includes, cysteamine, pigment – correcting serum and methimazole, they used as radioprotector and blocking melanin synthesis with minimal detectable serum level.

Keywords: Melasma, Pigmentation, Hydroquinone, Treatment.