Skin Pigmentation – Types and Information

Melanin defends our skin from the sun’s harmful rays, and it also gives our skin pigment. The lesser the melanin, the brighter the skin will be. But when melanin is overproduced or underproduced, the skin will be tarnished.

Skin pigmentation has different cause and effects. The most common types of skin pigmentation are mentioned below.

•    Ephelides/Freckles

People with light skin are the common victims of freckles. They appear on the cheeks, chest, shoulder. They may enhance or worsen one’s appearance.

•    Solar Lentigines

Solar lentigines are also known as sun spots or age spots. Damaged melanocytes which are not disposed of properly can cause discoloration.  They are commonly found on the hands and face. They resemble freckles but their causes are different.

•    Melasma

Melasma occurs more in women than in men. Due to hormonal imbalance when taking contraceptive pills, women are more susceptible in having melasma. Melasma occurs like brown patches on the face or any part of the body. Two variety of melasma are the epidermal and dermal. Epidermal melasma is superficial, it only affects the upper epidermis. Dermal melasma is much worse because it is situated deeply under the skin.

•    Chloasma

It is one of the effects of pregnancy. Excessive sun exposure can aggravate this condition. This can also appear on the abdomen.

The abovementioned pigmentation troubles are caused by too much pigmentation. In contrast with that, we’ll discuss hypopigmentation next. And to make it simple these conditions are cause by lack of melanin on skin.

•    Skin Damage

Damaged skin, due to wounds or the like may cause some pigment loss for some time but it is only temporary.

•    Albinism

Albinism is the complete absence of melanin.   Albinos are known for their pale skin, pale hair and eye color. There is a gene which confines the production of melanin in albino people. Albinos are very susceptible to skin cancer.

•    Vitiligo

Vitiligo is manifested by white blemishes on skin. Vitiligo is cause by damage in pigment producing cells, and is classified as an autoimmune disorder.   Since there is no cure for it yet, all a patient can do is to hide it with make up.

One should seek for medical advice before going through any medication of these skin conditions. Doing self treatment can make it worse, so don’t take the risk.

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Seborrheic Keratosis

Seborrheic keratosis is the presence of noncancerous wart-like growths on the skin surface. Its popular names are barnacle, senile keratosis, seborrheic verruca, and senile warts. Keratinocyte is the beginning part of this benign growth on the surface of the skin. Aging is a factor that can contribute to the appearance of seborrheic keratosis.

The clinical term “seborrheic keratosis” is the combination of word seborrheic (characterized by the skin disorder causing scaly, itchy, and flaky, reddish skin affecting the sebum-gland rich areas), and the producer of keratin known as keratinocyte and the suffix -osis meaning abnormal.

Different colors from light tan to black may characterize the occurrence of seborrheic keratoses. From a tiny mark to over one inch across, the measurement may vary.

Even though it has no viral origins, it can look like a wart and even melanoma skin cancer. Since only the top layer of the outermost skin is involved, seborrheic keratosis can be described to have a pasted on appearance.

It is still unclear why there are seborrheic keratoses appearing on some individuals. Nonetheless, UV rays can be pointed out given the fact the sun-exposed body parts are affected. This areas include arms, neck, face, and back. Also, genetics can also be a factor to be considered on determining the cause of seborrheic keratosis.

The horny pearls and the embedded cysts can be attributed to its development on the skin. If you are in doubt, it is best to talk to a skin expert. A common way to know your condition is through a skin biopsy.

Seborrheic keratosis looks greatly like epidermal nevi. It is compulsary for you to have dermatoscopy since it also resembles condylomas and warts. A skin biopsy is necessary for you to determine it from condylomas when it is on the genital skin or on the penis.

There is no more treatment needed if there was a correct diagnosis to the skin condition. Picking at the lesions brings a small risk on invading the surrounding area of the infection. One good method is cryosurgery if there is a sharp itchiness brought by the growth.

For those individuals who have tiny lesions, light electrocautery is the best treatment to be deemed into consideration. In the same way, for those individuals who have bigger lesions, different treatments like shave excision, electrodessication and curettage, and cryotherapy can be gone through. Proper performance of the treatment is needed for the skin to have not much visible scarring save for those who have dark skins.

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Skin Pigmentation Classifications

Skin pigmentation is a disorder that affects the color balance of the skin cells affected by melanin production. Once damaged or considered as unhealthy, skin cells can under or over make amounts of Melanin. Darkness or lightness of the skin’s color is reliant on the amount of Melanin created by the skin cells. Uneven patches on the skin are due to unstable Melanin production.   Lighter patches of skin color may appear due to low melanin production while overproduction of it will produce dark patches on the skin.
Natural reasons like pregnancy, self inflicted cases like no ample sun protection to diseases such as Addison’s disease are the most common reasons behind of skin pigmentation. Skin pigmentation has varying cases like Melasma, Solar Lentigo and Vitiligo which are usually known cases known for this kind of skin condition. Epidermal and Dermal skin pigmentation are usually the classifications to initially determine the level of skin disorder. When the disorder is seen only on the external layer of the skin, it is classified as Epidermal. Dermal on the other hand is a classification where the discoloration goes deeper into the skin tissue.
Irregular skin tone with noticeable dark patches on the face would usually be classified as Melasma. Common known causes of melasma would be excessive sun exposure and pregnancy. Usually, Melasma is treated using topical chemical peels or for more advanced cases, it is treated by diamond peels and laser treatments.
Age, liver or sun spots are usually noted by most as a normal skin condition but these are actually classified as a form of skin Hypopigmentation medically termed as Solar Lentigo. The main cause of Solar Lentigo, as the name prescribes, would be long, unprotected exposure to the sun. Solar Lentigo is usual for those over the age of 50. Despite the fact that the ailment may look natural and easy to treat, it actually requires more new methods such as laser and cryosurgery.
Lighter patches as opposed to darker patches occur due to the insufficiency of Melanin production in the skin which would be a disorder called Vitiligo. This type of skin condition is more noticeable due to the level of discoloration which is usually the complete opposite of the natural tone of the skin. Those that have deeper skin tones are most likely to acquire this kind of skin condition. Several causes may lead to this kind of skin pigmentation but exact causes are still unknown. Some assume that this condition comes from sun burns while other factors considered are due to genetic, hereditary, neurogenic and immunologic reasons.
For all known causes of skin Hyperpigmentation, the most recurrent factor would be due to sun exposure. Unprotected from the sun, our skin cells are easily damaged. It is highly recommended that sun screen is used, specifically those with high SPF formulation.
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Skin Pigmentation

The majority of people have some form of skin pigmentation or a kind of birthmark. Here you can overview the list of most common problems that affect so many people. If you are also suffering of any one of these problems you should talk to some skin specialist or physicians who can diagnosis the actual problem and than treat it in a perfect way.

Birthmarks

This abnormal kind of skin coloration can be noticed at the time of birth or with in few initial weeks after birth. So many different kind of birth marks are normally non- cancerous or not harmful for you but the marks mentioned below can create many health risks. [continue reading…]

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Kojic Acid Skin Treatments

Among known medications those which inhibit melanin production are used to treat pigmentation. Unlike chemicals such as hydroquinone, kojic acid is a natural substance formed from fermenting rice. The fungi where kojic acid is yielded from is called koji. Kojic acid is considered to be a safe alternative to chemical skin whitening treatments, but is it really safe? Some researches claim that kojic acid may cause cancer in large amounts. It is also used to preserve the freshness and color of foods. In humans, it is used to treat skin disorders such as melasma. [continue reading…]

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Skin Blemishes

There are some people who suffer from skin blemishes due to many skin health factors. Diet, varying weather, clogged pores, skin damage, genetics, stress, excess oil on the skin, and aging are some of the factors that can be responsible for skin blemishes. Furthermore, these factors affect the early aging leading to the development of skin blemishes that are prominent on the face. There are several forms of skin blemishes like acne, whiteheads, blackheads and the scarring and dark spots of pigmentation that these can leave behind. [continue reading…]

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Keratosis And Pigmentation In Children

A child’s skin is very sensitive, unlike adults. Skin care for children should be gentle, because skin damage in childhood could carry on until he gets old. A good example is skin blemishes. Freckles could carry on later in life.

Regarding keratosis and pigmentation, there are risks factors for having them. Melanin and keratin are involved in such skin disorders. The excessive keratin causes keratosis, while excessive melanin causes hyperpigmentation.  These two are important when it comes to certain bodily protection. Mainly, keratin is for protection because hair protects the head, while melanin prevents over penetration of ultraviolet rays in our skin. Keratin and melanin are risk free, but too much of it is not good for the skin. [continue reading…]

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Dangers Of Hydroquinone On Skin Pigmentation

Many people suffering from various forms of skin pigmentation such as melasma, age spots & liver spots use hydroquinone to bleach their skin. It is still prescribed in many countries even though its use is banned in others for fears it may cause cancer.

Hydroquinone is well-known for its effectiveness. And what exactly is hydroquinone? It is an aromatic compound which is used in some skin treatments. It is also used as a raw material in manufacturing some herbicides and rubber antioxidants, so think, is it safe to use on human skin? Many studies have been performed to test the potential risks of hydroquinone. It is believed that hydroquinone can cause skin cancer. It caused tumors to grow on rats when hydroquinone is tested on them.  In some hydroquinone whitener users, a condition called exogenous ochronosis occurred in a small percentage of patients. [continue reading…]

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Why Herbal Remedies For Age Spots Removal Do Not Work

Over the years that we are being exposed to the sun, it is very likely for human beings to have age spots. In order to erase these age spots, people come up with so-called natural home remedies that can be applied on the skin, but these can just bring damage to the skin and bring negative results instead of attaining your goal. These items can be practically handpicked from your garden and even from your kitchen household, but making use of these items can just let you down. [continue reading…]

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Hyperpigmentation and Its Examples

Prior to any discussion regarding hyperpigmentation, it is imperative that the reader becomes familiar with the term “pigmentation” first. Simply put, skin pigmentation is the color of a person’s skin. The body’s skin cells, or melanocytes, are in charge of producing a substance called melanin. The darker a person’s skin color is, the more melanin there is in their epidermis. The skin color someone will have is primarily dependent on their racial background as well as the kind of exposure they have to the sun’s rays. Different people have different skin pigmentations because of these reasons. [continue reading…]

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