Depigmenting action of corticosteroids. Experimental study on guinea pigs.

The depigmenting action of corticosteroids was studied on the black skin of the guinea-pig by cutaneous applications followed by repeated histological sections. These experiments demonstrated the depigmenting action of triamcinolone acetonide and betamethasone 17-valerate. The results of this study show the influence of concentration and chemical formula of the corticosteroids on the process of depigmentation. The histological study did not reveal any particular morphological aspect of melanocytes capable of suggesting a mechanism of action by these chemical compounds at the cellular level.