You are uniquely you. Just as no two people will have identical thoughts, beliefs, body shapes, or hair texture, your skin tone and pigmentation are unlike any other individual.

Understanding pigmentation

Pigmentation is the color and tone of your skin. Certain cells, named melanocytes, exist in the surface layer of the skin and produce the pigment, melanin. The level of melanin that is produced determines the color of your skin. If these cells create too much or too little melanin, skin pigmentation problems occur.

Types of pigmentation disorders

Skin disorders or problems with discoloration may affect small patches or your entire body. If your cells produce too much melanin, skin will darken. Overexposure to the sun, Addison’s disease, and hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause your skin to become darker.

If your melanin production is decreased, skin will turn lighter. Vitiligo is a skin problem that occurs when the melanocytes are destroyed, and it results in patches of white skin. Albinism is a genetic condition in which production of melanin is restricted, resulting in no pigmentation in skin, eyes, or hair.

Other factors that can affect pigmentation include the abnormal development or clustering of blood vessels, such as hemangioma and nevus flammeus, also called port wine stains. Moles, scars, burns, infections, certain health conditions, and blisters can also contribute to discoloration.

If you would like to know more about pigmentation problems and gain a better understanding about how to care for your skin, call us today for your comprehensive consultation.