title: The perilesional skin in vitiligo: a colorimetric in vivo study of 25 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this work was to study in vivo the perilesional skin in vitiligo with a colorimetric method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five patients affected by vitiligo were included. For each patient, three different areas were considered: the lesional, the perilesional and the normal skin as far as 5 cm from the nearest vitiligo spot. Skin pigmentation measurements were performed with a chromameter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that luminance L* decreased significantly in relation to increasing distance from the vitiligo spot. As expected, L* in the vitiligo spot was significantly higher than in the perilesional (P<0.0001) and normal skin (P<0.0001). There was a small difference in L* between normal skin as far as 5 cm from the nearest vitiligo spot and perilesional skin. In contrast, the pigmentation index (b*) gradually increased from lesional to perilesional to normal skin. Furthermore, the comparison of the b* value between the normal skin as far as 5 cm from the nearest vitiligo spot was higher than perilesional skin and it was statistically significant (P<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results in vivo underline that the perilesional skin near the vitiligo spot is lighter than normal skin as far as 5 cm from the vitiligo spot.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human and Hereditary Pathology, Institute of Dermatology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. vbrazzelli@libero.it
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brazzelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Muzio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antoninetti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Donadini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altomare
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borroni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003124:Colorimetry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000473:pathology*