Combining Topical Therapy With Procedures to Treat Hyperpigmentation Disorders

Hyperpigmentation disorders are commonly encountered by dermatologists. These disorders most frequently include melasma, solar lentigines, and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. Although topical therapy is the mainstay of treatment, the number of procedures available to manage these disorders continues to increase. However, published studies describing combinations of topical therapy and procedures used to treat hyperpigmentation disorders are lacking. In this article, we discuss the etiology of these disorders and current therapies, review the literature, and describe the rationale for combining topical therapy with procedures. Additionally, we report the results of combining topical therapy with procedures in patients with hyperpigmentation disorders.