Impact of pigmentary disorders on quality of life in Japan: Interest of the BeautyQoL instrument

Skin pigmentary disorders and uneven skin tone represent common cosmetic concerns in Japan where fairer skin is culturally desirable. As the demographics of Asian countries continue to evolve, there is a need to understand the impact of cosmetic skin concerns on quality of life (QoL). 199 Japanese women self-claiming facial skin pigmentation disorders were asked to complete the BeautyQoL questionnaire, and the results were compared with those of a control group of 200 women. Of the fi ve dimensions of the BeautyQoL questionnaire, the dimension “ mood ” appeared to be signifi cantly lower in the group presenting facial dark spots, as compared with the control group ( p 0.05). In the group presenting facial dark spots, the fi ve dimensions and the global score showed that subjects concerned had lower scores than subjects less concerned, even if statistical signifi cance was not reached. This study confi rms that common pigmentary disorders such as facial black spots may negatively impact QoL. Further comparative studies with a controlled randomized design would be necessary to confi rm these fi ndings.