Skin Pigmentation: What is It Really?
If you were to be asked how your skin has such color, would you know how to respond? Basically, your skin has its color due to the melanin in the skin. The pigment can be yellow, brown, or black depending on the melanin. It is not just the color of the skin that melanin determines; it is also responsible for the color of a person’s hair and the iris of their eyes. The level of melanin may vary according to one’s race and his exposure to sunlight. This is definitely why there are light-skinned, fair-skinned, and dark-skinned people. The more an individual is exposed to a greater amount of sunlight, the higher the level of melanin there is to protect the skin against the harmful rays of the sun.
It is possible for anyone to have problems when it comes to skin pigmentation. Some may attribute skin pigmentation disorders to sun exposure, while others may attribute it to hormone changes. Whenever there is too low or too high level of melanin produced by the body, skin pigmentation disorders arise. Apart from making the tone of the skin either lighter or darker, it also becomes uneven and spotted.
There are several possible causes of skin pigmentation. Some of the most popular causes include genetic inheritance, reaction to drugs, hormonal imbalance, hormonal therapy, medications, and auto immune conditions. Sun damage is believed to be on top of this list. Locally increased production of skin pigment may also trigger the occurrence of skin pigmentation disorder. This may manifest as liver spots, moles, age spots, freckles, or hyperpigmentation.
If you have a skin pigmentation disorder that you are not totally aware of, it is best to consult a dermatologist. Do not take for granted the need to have your skin condition examined by an expert. Simple tests and visual examinations are usually performed in order to identify what the condition is and how to treat it. There is nothing much to worry about having skin pigmentation disorder, because most often than not, the outer appearance is the only aspect it affects. Majority of individuals who have skin pigmentation disorders have not reported having any underlying health risk associated to the condition of the skin.
A biopsy is considered in some cases in order to verify if the growths are cancerous in nature or not. In order to deal with the situation, people with skin pigmentation disorder tend to avoid being exposed too much to the sun and they wear sunscreen protections. There are also creams and other topical products that are formulated to lighten the skin.
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