Hypomelanosis/hypomelanotic: A term that is not commonly used in the description of lesions and therefore unnecessary, describing a pathological reduction in epidermally localized melanin. The term is used synonymously with the term depigmentation.
The term "hypomelanosis(es)" is also used to describe a family of genetic diseases such as oculocutaneous albinism (OCA types I-VII), in which a disorder of biosynthesis leads to a reduction or complete loss of melanin production with a normal number of melanocytes in the skin and various other organs. Other diseases with the term "hypomelanosis" are:
- Hypomelanosis, phylloid
- Hypomelanosis progressive macular
- Hypomelanosis guttata
- Eruptive hypomelanosis
- Hypomelanosis Ito which is also known as Blaschko-linear hypomelanosis