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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What To Do For The Dark Circular Mark On Face Caused After Applying Dettol?

Hello there, Just some background on my problem. About 7 months ago, I used some Dettol on my face (stupid idea). It burned me, leaving a dark circular mark. About 3 days after the incident, the skin peeled away and the underlying skin looked normal, resembled the rest of my face. About 4 days later I noticed the mark returned, it was fainter though. I was wondering what I should do next? Should I leave the mark alone? Will it go away itself? Thanks!
posted on Tue, 21 Jan 2014
Twitter Tue, 21 Jan 2014 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 22 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on
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Dermatologist,  's  Response
Hello,
Welcome to healthcare magic,
Dettol caused a severe irritant contact dermatitis which is equivalent to a chemical burn. Damage to the skin caused some of the pigment producing cells called melanocytes to shift to deeper skin. This is called post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). This pigmentation will worsen with exposure to sunlight. Usually PIH fades slowly with time.
You should decrease direct sunlight exposure and apply a sun block every 3 hours during the day. At night you may apply a lightening cream containing 2% Hydroquinone or kojic acid ( eg: Kojivit gel) over the patch before going to sleep. This will make PIH fade faster.
Hope this helped,
Take care.

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What To Do For The Dark Circular Mark On Face Caused After Applying Dettol?

Hello, Welcome to healthcare magic, Dettol caused a severe irritant contact dermatitis which is equivalent to a chemical burn. Damage to the skin caused some of the pigment producing cells called melanocytes to shift to deeper skin. This is called post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). This pigmentation will worsen with exposure to sunlight. Usually PIH fades slowly with time. You should decrease direct sunlight exposure and apply a sun block every 3 hours during the day. At night you may apply a lightening cream containing 2% Hydroquinone or kojic acid ( eg: Kojivit gel) over the patch before going to sleep. This will make PIH fade faster. Hope this helped, Take care.