A Case of Vitiligo Developed on the Sites of DNCB Application in a Patient with Alopecia Areata / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

We report a case of vitiligo developed on the sites of DNCB application for the treatment of alopecia areata in a 53-year-old woman. Histopathologic studies of the depigmented patches showed absence of melanin pigmentation at the basal layer of the epidermis and a negative reaction for the Fontana-Masson stain. The current theories explaining vitiligo development after topical sensitizer application are that topical sensitizers induce the vitiligo by a direct cytotoxic effect on the melanocytes, or by unmasking latent vitiligo as a result of the Koebner phenomenon due to contact dermatitis, but the exact mechanism is still unclear.