International Journal of Research in Dermatology | January-February 2022 | Vol 8 | Issue 1 Page 142 International Journal of Research in Dermatology Kandhari S et al. Int J Res Dermatol. 2022 Jan;8(1):142-151 http://www.ijord.com Review Article Expert opinion on current trends in hyperpigmentation management: Indian perspective Sanjeev Kandhari 1 , P. Narasimha Rao 2 , Shehnaz Arsiwala 3 , Anil Ganjoo 4 , Seema Sood 5 , Dinesh Kumar 6 * INTRODUCTION Hyperpigmentation is a common dermatological condition where patches of skin become darker in color than the surrounding skin. 1 It is also described as a group of diseases, which can be either congenital with different inheritance patterns or acquired i.e. secondary to cutaneous or systemic problems. 2 The darkening of the skin is attributed to excess melanin, which gets deposited on the skin. It can occur in people of any race and is one of the major skin concerns for people with pigmented skin types especially in the Asian and Indian populations. 3 It is found to be among the top 11 skin conditions seen by dermatologists with 24.7 million visits for the management of change of skin colour. 4 Patients usually develop social and emotional insecurities as they feel embarrassed and DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/issn.2455-4529.IntJResDermatol20214925 ABSTRACT Hyperpigmentation is a common pigmentary disorder characterized by increased production of melanin. It is present in Asian skin phototypes, with a higher prevalence in the Indian population. Skin heterogeneity is seen in more than 80% of individuals of all age groups and genders in several cities across India. In children, the prevalence of hyperpigmentary disorders accounts for 1.54 per 1000 children. Sixty expert dermatologists participated in expert group meetings via teleconference webinar to elaborate on the current trends in the management of hyperpigmentary disorders. The major reasons for hyperpigmentary disorders in India include melanocyte function followed by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, race, ethnicity, use of medications, pregnancy, and use of cosmetic. There are wide varieties of skin-lightening or depigmenting agents and skin resurfacing procedures that aid in the management of hyperpigmentation. However, treatment becomes challenging due to compliance issues related to affordability, complexity of prescriptions, and treatment duration. Compliance increases only if the patient sees any improvement or discontinues treatment due to higher expectations. Hence, the success of the treatment lies in patient adherence. This article summarizes expert opinions on identifying, diagnosing, and managing hyperpigmentation with the help of topical depigmenting agents in the Indian scenario. It also emphasizes treatment adherence issues along with the role of patient counseling and education regarding disease awareness and treatment strategies. Keywords: Hyperpigmentation, Pigmentary disorders, Photoprotection, Patient adherence 1 Dr. Kandhari's Skin and Dental Clinic, Delhi, India 2 Comprehensive Dermatology Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India 3 Renewderm, Mazgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 4 Skinnovation Clinics - The World of Aesthetics, New Delhi, India 5 Dermatology and Aesthetics Center, Jalandhar, Punjab, India 6 Dr. Dinesh’s Skin and Hair Clinic, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Received: 18 May 2021 Revised: 10 June 2021 Accepted: 11 June 2021 *Correspondence: Dr. Dinesh Kumar, E-mail: drdineshskin@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.