A Practical Classification of Childhood Hypopigmentation Disorders

Hypopigmentation disorders in children can be due to a wide variety of congenital and acquired diseases. A clinical approach to hypopigmentation disorders based on the typical age of onset and the extent of lesions is proposed. The disorders are categorized into onset in early and later childhood, and in each category they are subdivided into localized and generalized pigmentary disorders. Clinical findings, comprising the sites of involvement, degree of pigment loss, and associated morphological findings, are used to distinguish the disorders further. This classification provides a systematic approach to a clinical condition in which the causes are heterogeneous and histological examination of the skin is rarely diagnostic.