Common disorders of pigmentation

Preview A woman noticing a small patch of pale skin may comment, "My mother used to have the same thing." Or a father seeing a milky-brown lesion on his newborn may receive the explanation, "It'll go away on its own." Pigmentation imperfections are common. Usually they are benign and cause little distress. However, some disorders can be disfiguring and some flag possible systemic disease. Dr Hacker describes the presentation of a variety of disorders, provides illustrations of several, and summarizes therapeutic approaches to those that respond to treatment.