Prevalence of pigmentary disorders and their impact on quality of life: a prospective cohort study.
BACKGROUND
Pigmentary disorders are commonly seen in dermatology practice and can have a negative psychosocial impact on patients.


OBJECTIVE
This study aims to examine the prevalence of pigmentary disorders and their level of psychological and physical impact on patients.


METHODS
A prospective cohort study involved a sample of 140 patients undergoing skin exams at a private dermatology practice in North Carolina. Patient demographics and pigmentary diagnoses were obtained, and participants were asked to fill out a skin discoloration impact evaluation questionnaire. Descriptive and frequency analyses were performed.


RESULTS
Around 80% of the participants were diagnosed with one or more pigmentary disorders. About 47.3% of patients admitted of feeling self-conscious about their skin to some degree, 21.8% felt others focused on their skin, 32.7% felt unattractive because of their skin, 32.7% put effort into hiding pigment changes, and 23.6% felt their skin affected their activities. A limitation was the lack of diversity in the population studied (gender and skin type).


CONCLUSIONS
Pigmentary disorders such as melasma, vitiligo, and lentigo pose significant negative impact on a person's health-related quality of life. Hence, there is a need for effective treatments of pigmentary disorders based on their prevalence and effect on quality of life. Healthcare providers should consider the impact of pigmentary disorders on health-related quality of life and educate patients on possible treatments.
Taylor
Anne
A
Center for Dermatology Research, Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1071, USA.
Pawaskar
Manjiri
M
Taylor
Sarah L
SL
Balkrishnan
Rajesh
R
Feldman
Steven R
SR
D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017495:Hyperpigmentation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D007911:Lentigo / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008548:Melanosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012494:Sampling Studies; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology