Occupational influences on skin color

An individual's occupation and working environment often contribute significantly to his or her skin color. The most important factor is whether the worker has exposure to sunlight alone or together with photosensitizing drugs, chemicals and biological agents. Work-related hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation can be disfiguring. Risk factors should be considered when employers select employees and when workers choose occupations. Agents that are frequent offenders in causing occupational dermatoses should either be eliminated from the work-place or be otherwise isolated through the use of protective measures. All work-related diseases are preventable and there is no acceptable level of prevalence for these disorders.