1. Open‐label pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of topical bimatoprost on rhododendrol‐induced refractory leukoderma
- Author
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Masahiro Kamata, Takamitsu Tanaka, Atsuko Fukuyasu, Makoto Yokobori, Shintaro Takeoka, Shinichi Watanabe, Tomoko Kasanuki, Takamitsu Ohnishi, Kotaro Hayashi, Satoshi Iimuro, Saki Fukaya, Takeko Ishikawa, and Yayoi Tada
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.product_category ,melanocyte ,Leukoderma ,Butanols ,Skin Lightening Preparations ,Drug Resistance ,Glaucoma ,Pilot Projects ,Skin Pigmentation ,Dermatology ,depigmentation ,Administration, Cutaneous ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Depigmentation ,Refractory ,Japan ,medicine ,leukoderma ,Humans ,Adverse effect ,Aged ,Skin ,Hypopigmentation ,Bimatoprost ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,Original Articles ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Discontinuation ,rhododendrol ,Treatment Outcome ,030221 ophthalmology & optometry ,Melanocytes ,Original Article ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,Eyelash ,business ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Rhododendrol (RD), 4‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐butanol, inhibits melanin synthesis and had been used in skin‐whitening cosmetic products until 2013. However, some individuals developed leukoderma on the skin where RD had been applied and have suffered from refractory depigmentation even after discontinuing RD application. Bimatoprost is a prostaglandin F2α analog and is often used for eyelash growth for cosmetic reasons as well as in the treatment of glaucoma. It was reported that bimatoprost induced skin pigmentation in addition to iris pigmentation as adverse effects. Therefore, we conducted an open‐label single‐center pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of bimatoprost on refractory RD‐induced leukoderma. Eleven Japanese female patients with skin type III who developed leukoderma on the exact or slightly extended area of skin where RD had been applied and gained a halt of enlargement of leukoderma or repigmentation on a part of the affected skin after discontinuation of RD were enrolled. Bimatoprost 0.03% solution was applied on the leukoderma once daily for 3 months, and then the frequency of application was increased to twice daily for the subsequent 3 months. Ten patients completed the 6‐month course of bimatoprost application. In four patients, bimatoprost application brought slight improvement in RD‐induced refractory leukoderma by dermatologists’ evaluation. Because the number of enrolled patients was limited, further larger studies are necessary to better assess the effectiveness of bimatoprost in inducing repigmentation in patients with RD‐induced refractory leukoderma.
- Published
- 2018