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Skin Pigmentation

What Is Skin Pigmentation?

Abnormal skin pigmentation or hyperpigmentation can present in many forms. This includes hormonal pigmentation such as melasma or environmental pigmentation, such as liver spots, age spots, sun damage, and post-inflammatory pigmentation.

Skin pigmentation is typically flat in appearance and varies in size, occurring mainly on the face, chest, back and hands. It is a common and usually harmless condition, in which small areas of the skin become darker in colour due to a build-up of melanin in one area.

Abnormal skin pigmentation is directly influenced by an increase in melanin. Melanin is a pigment found in the skin that determines its overall colour. Melanin plays a critical role in protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the suns UV rays. A variety of genetic and environmental factors are involved in the body’s regulation of melanin. Because of this, excessive or deficient amounts of melanin create abnormal skin pigmentation.

What Causes Skin Pigmentation?

Our genetics play a major role in determining the skin’s structure, texture, and resilience to ageing and other skin concerns. If an individual experiences abnormal skin pigmentation, there is a higher chance of it occurring in the next generation.

Fluctuations in female hormones like estrogen and progesterone can lead to hyperpigmentation or melasma. Dark spots on the skin due to hormonal fluctuations are more prevalent in darker skin tones. This is because the skin already creates a high level of pigment, therefore an increase in melanin production will inevitably make you more susceptible to abnormal skin pigmentation. However, environmental influences can also contribute to the development of hyperpigmentation.

Abnormal skin pigmentation is caused by overactive pigment cells. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its colour. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, the body produces extra melanin to protect the skin from the sun’s UV rays. The more melanin produced, the darker the skin becomes. Therefore, pigmentation can appear on areas of the skin where excess melanin collects.

Regular exposure to UV rays from the sun or sunbeds can slow down cellular regeneration. Because of this, alterations to the appearance of the skin can occur in the form of sun damage. This results in noticeable blemishes and accelerates the ageing process on areas of the body exposed to UV rays.

The body’s melanin production process is the same regardless of where the source of UV light comes from. Artificial UV light from sunbeds can also contribute to an overstimulation of melanin. If melanin production becomes highly concentrated in a specific area, this can result in skin pigmentation.