RCMI International Symposium on Health Disparities
November 12-15, 2000
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Invited Speakers

POSTINFLAMMATORY HYPERPIGMENTATION:
PATHOMECHANISM AND A NOVEL
APPROACH TO TREATMENT



Eric L. Carter, M.D.
Columbia University
College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York, NY

Inflammation-associated melanosis (IAM), also known as postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, is by far one of the most common disorders of human skin physiology. Despite the prevalence of IAM, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Recent evidence, including work with a strain of transgenic mice which overexpress the cytokine stem cell factor in their epidermis, suggests that the stem cell factor-KIT protein signaling pathway may play a central role in the pathophysiology of IAM. In this session we will review the factors thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of IAM and propose a novel molecularly-based management strategy.