The Treatment of Pigmented Lesions in Taiwan

What is it about?

Pigmented lesions are always a concern in Asian people. There are many kinds of hyperpigmentation on the face, including freckles, solar lentigines, melasma, acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules (ABNOM), Nevus of Ota, cosmetic tattoos and others. Mixed hyperpigmentations such as lentigines intermingled with freckles, or melasma with ABNOM, are common among women in Taiwan. The treatment for each disease is different. Some may be responsive to topical bleaching agents, like Kligman’s triple combination formula (5% hydroquinone, 0.1% tretinoin and 0.1% dexamethasone), while others may be good candidates for light-based therapy, like lasers or intense pulsed light (IPL). The treatment plan highly depends on the physicians’ experiences and techniques.

Featured Image

Photo by Vladimir Soares on Unsplash

Photo by Vladimir Soares on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Combined dyspigmentation such as lentigines intermingled with freckles, or melasma with acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules, are common among women in Taiwan. There are various lasers available, including Q-switched Nd-YAG laser, Q-switched alexandrite laser, Q-switched ruby laser, and pico laser. We conducted a literature review to understand the current practice of treatment for pigmented lesions in Taiwan.