Mandibular melasma

Melasma is an acquired symmetrical brown hypermelanosis of the face. Three clinical patterns are recognized, namely centrofacial, malar and mandibular. This study addresses the clinical and histopathological features of ten women with mandibular melasma to determine its relation to other types of melasma. The mean age of the patients was 52 years and the onset of the disease occurred at an average age of 44 years. Sunlight aggravated the pigmentation in all cases. Only one patient was receiving hormonal therapy. Histopathologically, all patients demonstrated severe sundamage and hyperpigmentation of the epidermis. Nine of them had melanophages or melanin in the papillary dermis. We conclude than mandibular melasma may be a clinicopathologic entity different to other types of melasma.