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Gender and Dermatology pp 83–88Cite as

Gender Dermatology: Pigmentation Disorders

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Abstract

The fact that men and women are genetically different goes without saying. How does this factor affect various aspects of skin pigmentation is an extensive area of study.

This chapter will focus on gender influence on skin pigmentation in health and disease.

In health, the influence of sex hormones on melanocyte homeostasis and melanogenesis will be discussed.

In disease: disorders that cause altered skin tone will be discussed, that are not a part of a known dermatologis condition.

Vitiligo is a prototype of hypopigmentation disorders. Even though no difference in incidence of vitiligo exist between men and women, the quality of life impairment in women affected with vitiligo is greater than that in men with same disease severity. Other disorders of hypopigmenation will be discussed briefly.

Melasma is a prototype of hyperpigmanation disorders.

When talking about gender differences in dermatology, melasma is one of the firs conditions to be discussed because of its much higher prevalence among women. There are some features of melasma in men that seem to different. These differences and other disorders of hyperpigmenataion will be discussed in this chapter.

In summary, better understanding of gender differences in skin pigmentation can shed a new light on the pathogenesis of pigmentation disorders and aid in discovering a more effective treatment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Mor Pavlovsky

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  1. Mor Pavlovsky
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Ethel Tur

  2. Department of Dermatology, UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Pavlovsky, M. (2018). Gender Dermatology: Pigmentation Disorders. In: Tur, E., Maibach, H. (eds) Gender and Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72156-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72156-9_8

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