Variations in the enlisted prevalent skin disorders are dependent on multiple factors, which we have to keep in mind when dissecting data in different sources:

India is a vast country comprised mostly of brown skin people. Patterns of skin diseases, influenced by various factors, differ from region to region. The consequent morbidities have a profound effect on the individual and the community [3]. The most prevalent cutaneous conditions noted in the past years were eczema and dermatitis, urticaria, fungal skin infections, acne, and alopecia [4, 7, 8]. In the past decade, eczemas, fungal infections, pyodermas, and scabies were the major patterns of skin morbidities [9, 10]. Infectious dermatoses were led by scabies followed by tinea infections; acne, eczema, and dermatitis were the most common noninfectious dermatoses [3]. A more recent prospective study revealed similar common skin conditions, but acne with or without post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) topped the list [2].

In an early study conducted in Nepal, a Himalayan country in the Indian subcontinent, cutaneous infections were the most common dermatologic condition followed by eczemas [11]. Fungal infections, acne, and melasma were recorded topping the list in another study done much later [1]. More recently, Shrestha et al. documented the topmost common diseases as eczemas, pigment disorders (melasma, PIH, ephelides, and vitiligo), infections, acne, and urticaria [5].

The Nepalese, with skin type falling mostly into Fitzpatrick type III and IV, tan more easily with resultant pigmentary disorders induced or aggravated by ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. Melasma was the most common pigment disorder, attributed to repeated exposure to UVR in addition to racial factors and genetic predisposition [5].