What You Need to Know About Hyperpigmentation
Before we can discuss what hyperpigmentation is, we should first become familiar with the term pigmentation. Simply put, skin pigmentation is the color of a person’s skin. It is the body’s skin cells (melanocytes) that function to produce melanin in the skin. The more melanin a person’s skin has, the darker its appearance will be. Skin pigmentation is mainly determined by the racial ethnicity of the person and the amount of sun exposure they get each day. Because of these aspects in determining skin pigmentation, the colors of people’s skins vary from one person to the next.
About hyperpigmentation, it refers to the darkening of a specific part or parts of one’s skin which is caused by the increased production of melanin. Because of hyperpigmentation, darker spots that do not match the surrounding areas will commonly appear on the skin. Hyperpigmentation has been found to be mainly caused by damage from too much sun exposure, skin inflammation, or other injuries on the skin. In connection to hyperpigmentation, there are many of diseases and conditions that are connected to the darkening of the skin. Among the given instances are Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, melanosis, haemochromatosis, linea nigra, Celiac disease, Cronkite-Canada syndrome, Tinea fungal infections, Addison’s disease, acanthosis nigricans, melasma, porphyria, as well as Cushing’s disease. The better known kinds of hyperpigmentation are sun spots, freckles, age spots, as well as liver spots. Some studies also say that chemicals such as cisplatin, salicylic acid, and bleomycin can cause hyperpigmentation. People of Asian, African as well as Mediterranean descent are considered as the most at risk to hyperpigmentation. Too much sunlight will also make you more prone to it.
If one has hyperpigmentation, then their looks are usually affected a lot. Beauty nowadays is judged by physical appearance, so hyperpigmentation might be a problem if you wish to look attractive. Beauty makes having a good complexion a must. Hyperpigmentation hinders this. The discoloured patches of skin are usually the most visible parts of the body when it comes to hyperpigmentation. To mention some parts, these are the neck, face, scalp, nape, hands as well as forearms. A lot of individuals are ashamed to show the unsightly dark patches of skin. People will wear clothes or use cosmetics to try and hide the spots. Fortunately, there are now many ways wherein one can alleviate hyperpigmentation. Skin lightening products are often used for this reason. The skin lighteners can consist of any of these: topical glucocorticoids, azelaic acid, hydroquinone, kojic acid, alpha hydroxy acids, ascorbic acid, tretinoin (Retinol), as well as licorice extract.
Hyperpigmentation makes the skin unappealing, even if it is generally harmless. A lot of individuals wish for their hyperpigmentation to disappear because the affected parts are noticeably darker than their real skin tone. Pigmentation creams may provide treatment for hyperpigmentation. However, all will be pointless if the afflicted individual still goes out under the sunlight or does not inentify the underlying cause or illness.
