Is Skin Pigmentation Hereditary?
Skin pigmentation is a long standing skin condition. It had been in occurrence for so long now. Many individuals out there are suffering from it and many more stand a very good chance of ending up with the skin condition for life. Pigmentation is more common in women than men, this might be because of hormones or because many women spend their holidays sunbathing. As one gets older, the chances of having it tend to increase as this is when people begin to have liver spots. It is also very possible for the younger generations to have it in the form of melasma. This means that there may not be any age limit to those who can end up with this skin condition. There have been several questions on whether or not pigmentation is hereditary. Some persons having it are concerned about the possibility of their kids too ending up with it. This simple write up will try to look into the issue of genetic pigmentation and provide a helpful answer to it.
Skin pigmentation is originally caused by the UV rays from the sun. Normally, the skins natural protection is able to resist the UV rays, but as the individuals grow older, the immunity of the body will reduce. This will make it possible for the years of accumulated sun exposure to take its toll the skin. When this happens, the sun will cause some genetic mutation of the genes that are responsible for the formation of the skin pigment; melanin. This genetic mutation can also occur on skins of individuals that are having light skin naturally due to reduction in melanin content on such skins. The genetic mutation experienced in such individuals can be passed across to their offspring and the offspring too will end up with skin pigmentation. In individuals with light skin, the genetic situation responsible for reduced melanin will prevail in their children and this will make it possible for the offspring to have the skin condition during their lifetime. If you want a straight answer to the question; is skin pigmentation is hereditary? The answer in some cases is yes. But this does not mean that it too can’t be brought under control. You need to first find out the cause of pigmentation before it can be treated correctly.
It is however important to note that it is not all cases of skin pigmentation that can be inherited by the children of the affected individuals. There are some very mild ones that may not reoccur in the children of affected individuals.
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