Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation is a common, usually harmless condition in which patches of skin become darker in color than the normal surrounding skin. This darkening occurs when an excess of melanin, the brown pigment that produces normal skin color, forms deposits in the skin. Hyperpigmentation can affect the skin color of people of any race.

Freckles, age spots, and other darkened skin patches can become darker or more pronounced when skin is exposed to the sun. This happens because melanin absorbs the energy of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays in order to protect he skin from overexposure. The usual result of this process is skin tanning, which tends to darken areas that are already hyperpigmented.

THE FOLLOWING MAY CAUSE HYPERPIGMENTATION:

• Addisons disease
• Melanoderma
• Scleroderma
• McCune Albright Syndrome
• Hemachromotosis
• Side effects of medications
• Adrenal cortex diseases
• Babers syndrome
• Lymphocytic vasculitis
• Pregnancy can trigger overproduction of melanin on the face and darkened skin on the abdomen and other areas.
• Women who take birth control pills (oral contraceptive pill) may also develop hyperpigmentation because their bodies undergo similar kind of hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. If one is really bothered by the pigment, the birth control pills should be stopped.
• skin diseases such as acne may leave dark spots after the condition clears.
• Age or “liver” spots are a common form of hyperpigmentation. They occur due to sun damage. These small, darkened patches are usually found on the hands and face or other areas frequently exposed to the sun.