Inhaled corticosteroid-induced hair depigmentation in a child.

An Afro-Caribbean girl showed localized hair depigmentation during treatment with inhaled fluticasone propionate. Although skin depigmentation is common after topical use of corticosteroids, hair depigmentation has never been reported with inhaled corticosteroids. The mechanisms underlying corticosteroid-induced skin depigmentation are not completely understood, but accepted hypotheses suggest a direct cytotoxic effect, changes in ground substance, vasoconstriction, mechanical effects of edema, or a dysregulation of melanogenesis.