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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Applying Balms For Headache Be Cause Of Darkened Forehead Skin?

my forehead skin has darkened substantially only in the last two years so that a visible difference appears if compared to the rest of the face. earlier i used to have regular headaches so I used to apply balms? what can be the cause and how to cure this
Sat, 8 Feb 2014
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Dermatologist 's  Response
Hello,
Welcome to healthcare magic.
From your history and description, it seems to me that you have developed post inflammatory hyperpigmentation due to application of pain relief balms.
Pain relief balms are counter irritants which contain menthol, camphor, etc which could irritate the skin and cause pigmentation over the applied area.
In most cases, this type of pigmentation is deep and can be difficult to get rid off completely.
Apply a good , broad spectrum sunscreen every 4 hours.
At bed time, use a lightening cream containing kojic acid, arbutin, liquorice and niacinamide.
You could get glyclolic acid peels done by a dermatologist.
Q- switched Nd-Yag laser may also help in lightening the pigmentation.
Hope this helps you.
Take care.
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Can Applying Balms For Headache Be Cause Of Darkened Forehead Skin?

Hello, Welcome to healthcare magic. From your history and description, it seems to me that you have developed post inflammatory hyperpigmentation due to application of pain relief balms. Pain relief balms are counter irritants which contain menthol, camphor, etc which could irritate the skin and cause pigmentation over the applied area. In most cases, this type of pigmentation is deep and can be difficult to get rid off completely. Apply a good , broad spectrum sunscreen every 4 hours. At bed time, use a lightening cream containing kojic acid, arbutin, liquorice and niacinamide. You could get glyclolic acid peels done by a dermatologist. Q- switched Nd-Yag laser may also help in lightening the pigmentation. Hope this helps you. Take care.