Researchers have developed a scale to assess postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, according to a recent study published by Lazar et al in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Currently, there are no measures of the condition outside of a common scale for acne-related facial hyperpigmentation. Researchers developed the Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation Area and Severity Index (PIHASI) scale to streamline characterization of the condition. After using colorimetry to examine a group of patients with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and diverse skin tones, the researchers then graded hyperpigmentation on three scales: the PIHASI scale, the Post-Inflammatory Dyspigmentation Area and Severity Index (PIDASI) scale, and a standard scale. They found that the PIHASI and PIDASI scales corresponded with objective measurements of hyperpigmentation severity across the skin tones. The researchers hope the PIHASI scale can help dermatologists better characterize postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and quantify treatment responses in clinical trials, regardless of patients’ skin tone. In a companion press release on the findings from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, the study authors concluded: “As [the PIHASI] is simpler than the PIDASI, it can also be used in clinics during patient encounters to understand improvement in hyperpigmentation across time.”

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