Who Else Wants To Get Rid Skin Hyperpigmentation?
Your skin's color will look normal when you are healthy. Pigmentation refers to the coloring of your skin. Melanin is a brown pigment which gives your skin's color. Skin hyperpigmentation happens when an excess of melanin accumulates in the skin. You will notice that some parts of skin will appear to be darker than the nearby area. It affects all women and men with brown skin. If you are African, Asian, Latin or Native American, then you are likely to encounter this skin disorder.
There are a few types of hyperpigmentation that are based on the cause of the excess melanin and its appearance on the skin. These include melasma, age spots or liver spots, freckles, and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. It is also related with a number of diseases such as Addison's disease and other sources of adrenal insufficiency, in which the hormones induce melanin synthesis.
So, what causes the excess of melanin? These maybe due to a few factors such as pregnancy, birth control pills, acne, sun exposure, medications, hormone fluctuations, and hot temperatures.
How do you know if the hyperpigmentation is caused by the side effect of medicinal intake or a phototoxic reaction? You need to review the use of medicine and supplement and exposure to plants and ultraviolet radiation.
You need an effective sun protection for your skin health. If you are prone to hyperpigmentation, you should learn about photoprotection.
Usually you want to treat hyperpigmentation because it looks horrible on your skin. There are now several highly effective laser treatments. All treatments may fail if the affected area is exposed to the sun and if there is lack of UVA and UVB protection. Sometime the color of your skin may return to normal even without treatment.
The common treatment involves skin lightening products which get rid of hyperpigmented skin patches. Most the skin lightening products contain hydroquinone. It lightens the darkened skin patches by trimming down the production of melanin. This allows the dark spots to match the normal skin's color.
However, treating hyperpigmentation takes time. You may need to be patient as you can see the results after about three to six months. It may even take a longer time if the hyperpigmentation is severe. For more severe cases, you may need to apply prescription creams that contain tretinoin and cortisone.
Skin hyperpigmentation is not a life threatening condition. However, you should consult with your doctor to confirm that it is not melanoma, a form of skin cancer. In addition, you should see your doctor if you experience unexplained darkening or lightening or any skin sore or lesion that changes the color of the skin.
