Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

Postinflammatory pigmentation is temporary pigmentation that follows injury (eg. a thermal burn) or inflammatory disorder of the skin (eg. dermatitis, infection). It is mostly observed in darker skin types.

Causes and Risk factors:

• Darker-skinned individuals,
• Sun-induced skin conditions such as photodermatitis
• Drugs: Antimalarial drugs, clofazimine.

Symptoms:

• Postinflammatory hyperpigmented patches are located at the site of the original disease after it has healed.
• The lesions range from light brown to black in colour.
• The patches may become darker if exposed to sunlight (UV rays).

Diagnosis: Clinical

Treatment:

• Broad-spectrum sunscreen
• Cosmetic camouflage.
• Topical creams
• Chemical peels
• Lasers.