Pigmentation And Sun Exposure
Pigmentation appears on the skin in the form of small brown spots (age spots & liver spots) or as larger patches of hyperpigmentation or melasma. The dark patches can be found on different parts of the body, but it has been discovered that the part of the body mostly affected are those parts that are frequently exposed to the sun. This means that pigmentation will almost always be noticable unless you cover it up or treat it.
Pigmentation has never been linked to cancer. The skin condition may remain on your skin for a very long time and you will never have to bother about its leading to cancer. It had also been discovered that the skin condition comes up more on the elderly. But some cases of pigmentation had also been reported on the younger generation.
Over time, pigmentation has been linked to the sun. It can come up on the skin after the skin had been exposed to the sun extensively. There is no way you can ever separate the two of them. As one grows older, and sun exposure is accumulated over the years, the skin will not be able to perform its protective functions adequately anymore. This then exposes the skin to the UV ray of the sun. The UV rays will be able to penetrate into the skin and cause pigmentation.
Pigmentation forms due to a problem with the overproduction of melanin in the skin. Melanin is responsible for the skin color and it is produced by a cell called melanocytes. The UV ray from the sun and old age tends to reduce the production rate of melanin. When this occurs, the little amount of melanin that is produced will be spread unevenly through the skin and this will come up in the form of spots on the skin referred to as hyperpigmentation.
It is not only the older generation that can experience pigmentation; younger people too can have it. When the younger individuals have sun damage, they may end up with the skin condition. If such an individual gets exposed to the sun, he may end up with pigmentation on the skin.
Pigmentation can also be inherited from the parents. Pigmentation only comes up after the melanocytes have been mutated by the sun and the mutated cells can end up being passed across to the offspring causing them too to have the skin condition.
Read More Articles on: Pigmentation