A clinical, epidemiological, Wood’s lamp and dermoscopic findings of melasma in females attending tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Melasma is a type of hyperpigmentation typically found on sun-exposed areas, particularly on the face but occasionally on the neck and forearms as well. Despite ongoing research, the exact cause of melasma is still unknown, although it is believed that both genetic factors and exposure to ultraviolet light may contribute to its development. There is a scarcity of studies that assessed the relationship between Wood's lamp and dermoscopic findings in relation to melasma. The current study was conducted to find a correlation and comparison between the observations of Wood's lamp and dermoscopy for melasma. A cross sectional study was carried out among patients with clinical features of melasma attending the outpatient department at multispecialty hospital with a sample size of 200. It was observed that out of 200 cases, mean age group was around 32 years, housewives constituted the majority 72(36%) patients followed by farmers 32(16%); 162(81%) were literate and 38(19%) were illiterate; and 127(63.5%) were using cosmetics and 73(36.5%) were not using any cosmetics; 69 (34.5%) centro-facial melasma, 130(65%) malar and 1(0.5%) with irregular melasma; 137(68.5%) were reticulo-globular, 54(27%) reticular and 9(4.5%) were globular; 10(5%) contrast enhancement, 107(53.5%) only enhancement and 83(41.5%) no enhancement. Facial hypermelanosis has long been a source of distress for patients, with the current trend of valuing physical appearance and fairness in the population only exacerbating this concern. The use of Wood's lamp and subsequently confirmed by dermoscopy has undergone significant development.