Hyperpigmentation of the clavicular zone: a variant of friction melanosis

This paper reports on clinical, laboratory, and pathologic findings of 10 cases of an idiopathic form of hyperpigmentation of the clavicular zone, a peculiar entity of circumscribed, glistening, pigmented lesions affecting young Latin women. Pathologic findings consisted of focal to extensive necrosis of the epidermis, focal areas of junctional cleavage, and melanin deposition within the epidermis, dermis, and melanophages, which places this lesion within the group of brown hypermelanoses. The authors feel that friction with clothing or with scrub pads made of sedge (a very common practice amongst mexicans in the bath room) against clavicular protuberances is fundamental in its pathogenesis.