Background: No term exists to date describing the phenomenon of pink-to-red discoloration after an inflammatory acne lesion.
Objectives: To introduce new terminology into the dermatology literature to describe erythema often seen after inflammatory acne vulgaris and to present a treatment option for this type of erythema.
Methods: New terminology describing erythema after inflammatory acne is addressed, and a treatment option for postinflammatory erythema is presented.
Results: Postinflammatory erythema is a new, accurate descriptor of erythema that occurs after inflammatory acne. Additionally, pulsed dye laser treatment improved postinflammatory erythema in the authors' patients.
Limitations: This paper only presents anecdotal cases.
Conclusion: The addition of postinflammatory erythema to the dermatology literature may facilitate accurate communication among providers and direct laser treatment for postinflammatory erythema.