The Ultimate Guide To Pigmentation, Its Causes & Treatments

By Mary Basiadima, 15 April 2020

Thank you for our to . We hope after you have it you will be better to tackle your . (8 min read)

This guide covers the following areas:

What is pigmentation?

According to the Mariam Webster dictionary pigmentation is :

"a colouring matter in animals and plants especially in a cell or tissue"

What causes skin pigmentation?

We can suffer from pigmentation issues whatever age, sex, skin tone and ethnicity we are.

can result in an over or under of melanin. Melanin is by the in the . When there is an over production of pigmentation it is called hyperpigmentation, when not enough is it is called hypopigmentation.

Skincare experts and are not sure of the for certain skin pigmentation changes. Other conditions like sun spots have obvious causes.

Pigmentation and hyperpigmentation

of the skin is a misleading phrase as all skin contains pigmentation. When it is or a problem it is best to as hyperpigmentation.

Hyperpigmentation causes dark patches or spots. They can be beige, brown, red or purplish coloured and can appear anywhere.

The sun is one of the biggest causes of pigmentation, along with pregnancy and changes. Below are the most common forms of pigmentation. Sometimes it can be severe and like vitiligo or . Let’s look at these two extreme forms of pigmentation first.

Michael Jackson is said to have from vitiligo which saw his skin colour change over the years from dark to light.

Other pigmentation issues can occur due to autoimmune conditions, changes and sometimes shock.

Pigmentation seen in is not a severe as the two above. The following types of are more common, starting with one of the most .

What is Melasma?

Pigmentation caused by is called Melasma. (It is also known as ‘chloasma’ or