Talking About Skin Pigmentation Disorders
Basically speaking, skin pigmentation is all about the coloring of a person’s skin. Melanin, a substance produced by the body’s skin cells (melanocytes), determines what kind of skin color a person will exhibit. The color of an individual’s skin color depends mainly on his or her ethnic or racial origin and the extent of his or her exposure to the sunlight outside.
Terms and skin conditions that are commonly discussed in relation to skin pigmentation are terms such as age spots, liver spots, acne scarring, post-inflammatory pigmentation, wound scarring, moles, flat moles, brown spots, keratosis, melasma, freckles, seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, sun spots, solar lentigo, chloasma, mask of pregnancy, birthmarks, port-wine stains, and so on and so forth. The terms mentioned above all have some kind of connection with skin pigmentation. The skin disorders mentioned often manifest as skin discolorations.
Disorders related with skin pigmentation usually result from irregularities in melanin production within the body. Skin cells that are unhealthy or are damaged have an adverse effect on the making of melanin, causing skin pigmentation irregularities.
Pigmentation disorders may affect only small portions of a person’s skin or affect the whole body itself. Hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation are the two main classifications of skin discoloration problems. Hypopigmentation is the irregular reduction of skin pigmentation while hyperpigmentation is the abnormal increase in skin pigmentation.
How does hyperpigmentation occur? Hyperpigmentation takes place when melanin in the body is excessively produced. This causes the original skin coloration of a person to appear darker or more tan. Hyperpigmentation is also known as dyschromia. Hyperpigmentation typically appears on the face as well as the hands as well as arms.
Classified as forms of dyschromia are freckles, liver spots, sun spots, age spots, as well as melasma. Causes of dyschromia can be too much sun exposure, pregnancy, Addison’s disease, hormonal changes, acne, failed skin treatments, as well as heredity. With hypopigmentation, the decreased production of melanin causes skin to look abnormally lighter than usual. Pityriasis alba, Tinea versicolor, blisters, burns, vitiligo, infections albinism, etc. are just some of the causes behind the decreased melanin production in hypopigmentation.
With either kind of skin pigmentation disorder, the discoloration often makes the afflicted person unhappy with their skin. That is why many seek treatment through medical means to eliminate their skin problems. Skin pigmentation disorders can be treated through several ways. Among the most popular include the use of pigmentation creams. Individuals use the creams since they give some improvement for their skin condition. Products that are meant for skin lightening are also used and include components such as hydroquinone, Vitamin C, retinoids, and kojic acid.
When it comes to physical appearance, skin pigmentation is very important. That is why it is no surprise that a lot of money and effort are used for research and development on treatments for skin pigmentation disorders.
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