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A pilot methodology study for the photographic assessment of post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation in patients treated with tretinoin
Author(s) -
Rossi AB,
Leyden JJ,
Pappert AS,
Ramaswamy A,
Nkengne A,
Ramaswamy R,
Nighland M
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2010.03798.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hyperpigmentation , tretinoin , dermatology , acne , retinoic acid , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Background Post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a common occurrence in patients with acne vulgaris, particularly in those with skin of colour. Aims A previous study has demonstrated the benefit of tretinoin (retinoic acid) in the treatment of PIH; however, there is currently no standard protocol to evaluate change in PIH following treatment. Based on these findings, we performed a pilot, exploratory, blinded, intraindividual‐controlled methodology study that consisted of a photographic assessment protocol with facial mapping. Materials and methods The study was based on a secondary analysis of a phase 4, community‐based trial of 544 acne patients who were treated with tretinoin gel microsphere 0.04% or 0.1%. Only patients with Fitzpatrick types III–V (skin of colour) were included in the study; subjects with Fitzpatrick skin type VI were excluded because the photographic assessment did not allow for proper evaluation. Results Despite the small number of subjects evaluated ( n = 25), the results revealed consistent assessment of improvement in PIH between two independent graders (weighted κ = 0.84). Conclusion Further study with a larger population is recommended to validate the accuracy of this method.