Association of epidermal melasma with skin phenotypes and other contributing factors

Objective the objective of this study was to determine the extent to which various factors contribute in the development of epidermal types of melasma. methods this single-center,cross-sectional study was carried out in the department of dermatology,combined military hospital multan,from july 2014 to december 2014. the study population was married females of reproductive ages,who reported in skin outpatient for treatment. a proforma was designed to get information regarding various factors that are assumed to predispose to the development of epidermal melasma. type of our data was categorical. spss version 19 was used to analyze the data. results 88 patients were included in the study. their ages ranged between 20-45 years (mean age 30±5.5 years). eighty-two patients were housewives and 6 teachers. the main skin phenotype seen in our patients was type iv (60.2%). 56.8% of patients developed melasma while they were pregnant and 27.3% developed it after excessive sun exposure. conclusion among various suspected causes; skin type iv,pregnancy and excessive sun exposure were the major contributory factors in causation of epidermal-type melasma.