Dermoscopy of disorders of hyperpigmentation

Disorders of hyperpigmentation are common in clinical practice and accounts for a large number of dermatology consultation in our country. These disorders, especially with facial involvement can result in tremendous psycho-social impact and are associated with poor quality of life. Disorders of hyperpigmentation are clinical diagnosis; the role of histopathology is limited by its invasive nature and reluctance on part of patient to undergo facial biopsy as well. Dermoscopy is a relatively new tool to diagnose these groups of disorders, but it has become popular due to its noninvasive nature and ability to perform the dermoscopic examination repeatedly over a period of time. Dermoscopy cannot replace thorough clinical history and histopathological examination, but it has distinct advantage in diagnosis of many disorders of hyperpigmentation. In this review, we will cover dermoscopy of disorders of hyperpigmentation and our approach to dermoscopy of these disorders.