Q: I am 26 years old, unmarried female with good health. I have dark pigmentation on my upper lip and chin, which is very embarrassing. I use Neutrogena sun block SPF 30. Also, I have an oily skin, but the pigmented skin (upper lip and chin) is comparatively dry. I regularly thread my upper lip. Kindly suggest some creams which will help reduce the pigmentation?

A:The pigmentation on the upper lip and chin may be due to the procedure, threading of upper lip. Since some other material is also used to clean the area before threading, it is possible and likely that it may also be responsible. As you are telling that the skin is dry and pigmented, it means mild irritant type of dermatitis is resulting in post inflammatory pigmentation in those areas. The treatment is to avoid the cause. In your case, threading the upper lip and then use azaleic acid cream available as Aziderm cream (20%) twice daily in the affected areas. Generally, such pigmentations disappears in 3-6 months if such procedures or cosmetics (inducing pigmentation) are avoided.