Pigmentation Homeopathy

More than two centuries after its invention, homeopathy still enjoys widespread popularity as an alternative to conventional medicine. Some homeopaths prescribe remedies they claim can help treat facial pigmentation. At present, however, there is no published evidence that demonstrates this treatment is effective.

Types

• Facial pigmentation or skin discoloration may result from a wide variety of causes, including excess exposure to the sun, pregnancy, genetic predisposition or photosensitizing medications.

Identification

• Homeopaths may vary the remedy they prescribe depending on the patient's symptoms, body type, and personal health history. Common remedies for facial pigmentation include sulfur, lycopodium clavatum, sepia officinalis, thuja occidentalis, argenticum nitricum, cadmium sulphuratum, copaiva officinalis, guarana, caulophyllum thalictroides and plumbum metallicum.

Function

• Homeopaths believe diseases can be treated with minute quantities of substances that, in larger doses, would produce the same symptoms as the disease. Since homeopaths think that the smaller the dose, the more potent the medication, they will often dilute the substance with water repeatedly until the final remedy is so dilute no molecules of the original substance remain.

Significance

• Homeopaths believe that water can retain an imprint or "memory" of a substance dissolved in it, even if the substance itself is no longer present. This claim, however, is not consistent with the current understanding of science and the laws of chemistry and physics; it's unclear how water molecules would retain a "memory" of past intermolecular interactions or why reducing a dose would maximize its effect.

Effects

• There is at present no published evidence in the scientific literature to show that homeopathy is effective to treat facial pigmentation. Many scientists and physicians are skeptical of the tenets and claims central to homeopathy since they seem difficult to reconcile with modern science.