What is pigmentation?
Pigmentation is just a technical term that is a darkening of the skin, an innocuous condition that can be caused by superfluous melanin. The deposition of melanin protein pigment is produced by the melanocytes which were present in the epidermis and hair follicles and are responsible for providing colors to the skin, hair, retina, or mucous membranes.
One main reason for Increased melanin production is the sun exposure of the skin, hence resulting in a darkening skin tone in the exposed areas. Dark circles, acne marks, sun tanning, age, spots, or freckles all of which come under the umbrella of pigmentation.
- Melanin deposit and skin tone are directly related to each other. A low deposit of melanin results in a fair skin tone, this condition is called Hypo-pigmentation.
- On the other hand, high deposits of melanin make the skin darker and leads to dark spots, patches, or discoloration of the skin known as Hyper-pigmentation.
As noted above, this disease completely depends upon the amount of melanin pigment produced and stored in the skin.
The amount of melanin production depends upon individual genetics and exposure to sunlight. With high exposure to sunlight, more melanin is produced in the skin and vice-versa. More often, hormonal changes are also responsible for melanin production.
Causes Skin Pigmentation
The factors that contribute to increasing in melanin production are responsible for this disease. Some of the factors are:
- Excessive UV Exposure Sun’s ultraviolet light is the major cause of the uneven increase in melanin pigment. Sunburn leads to discoloration of the skin and even increases the risk of skin cancer.
- Poor Liver function ailments like fatty liver or cirrhosis lead to hyper-pigmentation, Inactive kidney functioning which produces toxins in the body leads to skin color changes and Gall bladder ailments like Jaundice leads to yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
- Skin injuries – An inflammatory reaction on the skin due to cuts, bruises, the improper technique of hair removal, or depilatory creams.
- Hormonal changes – Female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone leads to excessive production of melanin due to various reasons like taking birth control pills or even during pregnancy or even when the skin is been exposed to the sun.
- Taking certain medications – Medications like tetracycline, antibiotics, retinoids, and chemotherapy can also have possible causes for pigmentation.
- With aging, the skin becomes thin and translucent and decreases the pigment-containing cells(melanocytes). Hence the strength of the skin reduces, and dermis blood vessels become fragile leading to darkening and bleeding in the skin.
- Disease of the gastrointestinal tract – Constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Lactose intolerance, or like.
Excessive UV Exposure Sun’s ultraviolet light is the major cause of the uneven increase in melanin pigment. Sunburn leads to discoloration of the skin and even increases the risk of skin cancer.
Poor Liver function ailments like fatty liver or cirrhosis lead to hyper-pigmentation, Inactive kidney functioning which produces toxins in the body leads to skin color changes and Gall bladder ailments like Jaundice leads to yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
Skin injuries – An inflammatory reaction on the skin due to cuts, bruises, the improper technique of hair removal, or depilatory creams.
Hormonal changes – Female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone leads to excessive production of melanin due to various reasons like taking birth control pills or even during pregnancy or even when the skin is been exposed to the sun.
Taking certain medications – Medications like tetracycline, antibiotics, retinoids, and chemotherapy can also have possible causes for pigmentation.
With aging, the skin becomes thin and translucent and decreases the pigment-containing cells(melanocytes). Hence the strength of the skin reduces, and dermis blood vessels become fragile leading to darkening and bleeding in the skin.
Disease of the gastrointestinal tract – Constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Lactose intolerance, or like.
Types of skin pigmentation
There are two broad categories of pigmentation conditions as mentioned above. Hyper and hypo pigmentation and in these two there are different categories of pigmentation. Let’s check it out!
Hypopigmentation
This condition occurs when the production of melanin is in a modest quantity. The types of illnesses are as below.
Albinism is derived from the Latin word called “Albus” which means “White, which is a rare genetic disorder characterized by little or absence of melanin that leads to white skin, white hair, and blue or pink eyes from birth. This congenital melanin absence is present even in animals and plants.
- Pityriasis alba is a benign skin disorder that affects children from 3 to 16 years which is projected at 5% in the United States and has a very higher pervasiveness in Egypt (18%) and Mali (20%).
- The name (Pityriasis alba) can be split to identify the real meaning that Pityriasis denotes its fine scales and alba refers to its pale colon (hypopigmentation).
- Physical characteristic reveals round or oval hypopigmented lesions or macules that are distributed predominantly on the face, neck, upper arms, and upper trunk with fine scales and indistinct margins.
- The commencement of vitiligo can be as early as birth or even in the late 80s it is a chronic autoimmune disorder clinically known as Vitiligo or Leucoderma that causes the skin to lose its normal pigment and so become white which is the result of lack of melanin in the skin.
- Melanin (Melanocytes) is the protein that produces pigmentation in hair, eye, and skin. When vitiligo is been observed then the immune cells instead of defending against the virus or infection from our body rather it works in a reverse way, and it will destroy the melanocytes which are the skin cells that make pigment resulting in white patches appearing all over the body even in the hair.
Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation is a term used to describe the condition of excessive secretion of melanin production and hyperpigmentation treatment in Bangalore is depend on the types of illnesses and condition of the skin.
- Melasma also called chloasma usually occurs in pregnant women due to hormonal changes and the overproduction of melanin on the face. This skin problem is more usual in Women than in men as per the survey of the American Academy of Dermatology and causes dark, discolored patches on your skin.
- Melasma even though it’s not contagious and cannot harm your body but lasts even for a lifetime.
- Freckles pigmentation is caused by UV-B radiation from the sun that leads to the light brown, red, or dark brown spotted areas usually found on sun-exposed areas of the body.
- The freckles activate the melanocytes to increase melanin production predominantly in fair complexion people with blond or red hair most often in the summer season.
- Freckles are not so harmful or a sign of any underlying ailments.
- Solar lentigines also called “old age spots” are more common in people over the age of 40 years and result from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. They are usually flat spots of increased pigmentation which can be oval to round shapes in size.
- Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes local proliferation of melanocytes and accumulation of melanin within the skin cells.
- Post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation (PIH) is usually severe in darker-skinned individuals and is a commonly acquired cutaneous disorder occurring after skin inflammation or injury. This happens when the skin produces excess melanin after an injury or burn acne breakout or aggressive skin treatment.
- PIH can affect either the epidermis or dermis which is the skin’s surface level or deeper level respectively.
Skin Pigmentation Treatment in Bangalore
There are different types of treatment available for every type of pigmentation. These includes:
IPL
- IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light or called photo-rejuvenation or photo facial which is a non-invasive treatment to cure many types of pigmentation as it involves the use of light to absorb melanin (dark pigment) and hemoglobin (the red blood vessels).
- The first and foremost step is to do some pre-procedure steps that need to be taken before proceeding with the therapy the patient’s skin is cleansed, and a cold gel is applied to the area to improve the conductivity of light.
- Intense Pulsed Light plays an important role to nullify the results of sun exposure by applying the beam of light on the affected tissue and helping to improve overall skin texture and tone. The pulsating light energy is focused on the discolored patches of the skin. The unwanted melanocytes have been destroyed by the heating effects on the most affected area and by the thermal destruction of the topmost pigmented skin cells.
- The pulsated light energy also promotes collagen which provides strength and resistance to the skin and the skin layers get restored from beneath after 10-14 days. In the last step, the skin is thoroughly cleansed and protected with a UV protection cream.
- After some days, clear and brighter skin will start to be visible. But before that, immediately after completing the therapies, the affected area may show up with some redness though one can use makeup to hide the area.
- It’s advisable that patients should protect their skin from direct sun exposure or other harsh materials that can be a factor to develop skin pigmentation over time.
- This treatment is highly advised for fair and olive skin tones. On the other hand, people with dark to very dark skin tones are not at all suitable for therapy.