ABSTRACT
The color of the skin results from the presence of pigments in the epidermis and in the dermis. The melanins are the most important pigments in human skin. However, other endogenous pigments such as hemoglobin and bilirubin also play a role in the color of the teguments. Dyschromia can result from a darkening, a lightening, and the occurrence of an unusual skin color [1]. Quantitative or qualitative defects in the production or in the deposition of melanin explain most of the pigmentary disorders, but abnormal variations of other endogenous pigments and deposit of exogenous pigments also lead to dyschromic lesions. Lasers have provided signicant progresses in the treatment of many of those hyperpigmented lesions. This chapter will focus on hyperpigmentation related to melanotic lesions. However, this is a heterogeneous group with many pathophysiological origins requiring specic treatment approaches. Indeed, when laser treatment can provide signicant improvement of some pigmented lesions, it can also worsen others. Thus, a precise diagnosis is mandatory to assess if a laser approach can be useful and to determine the optimal parameters.
