The term ‘pigment’ means ‘colouring.’ While many people have even colouring across their skin during their younger years, one sign of ageing is pigmentation. If a patch of skin becomes a lot darker than the areas surrounding it, medical professionals refer to it as ‘hyperpigmentation.’

The pigment of your skin may change when specific cells become overactive. Such cells produce a hormone called melanin, which regulates the colour of your skin. If those cells become overactive, your skin’s colourants may become a lot darker or redder than usual.

Overactive melanocytes are sometimes a sign that your skin is unhealthy, or that there’s something more severe happening beneath the surface. In other cases, the colouration of your skin changes as a part of the ageing process. While you can’t stop this from happening forever, there are ways to slow the process down, and medical professionals can treat existing areas of pigmentation.

While you may not worry about pigments and discolouration on many areas of your body, your face is different. As an area that is visible to others throughout the day, the appearance of pigments on its skin may leave you feeling self-conscious. By learning more about what pigments are, how they happen, and the treatment measures available; you can choose whether to opt for a cosmetic therapy to reduce pigmentation.

In the medical world, the term ‘pigmentation’ applies to a lot of conditions. Such conditions include:

FRECKLES

Some people are more susceptible to freckles than others, mainly due to genetics. They are more likely to appear during the summer months when you expose your skin to too many UV rays. UV ray exposure encourages your melanocytes to release more melanin, making freckles more obvious. During the winter, they usually fade.

SUNSPOTS AND SUN DAMAGE

Those who expose themselves to too much sun over the years may encounter sunspots. Sunspots and sun damage usually present as large and dark patches of skin, which stand out from the surrounding areas.

AGE SPOTS

Unlike sunspots, age spots have raised edges. Like sunspots, they are dark compared to surrounding areas of the skin. If you begin to notice age spots, you should seek advice from your GP to ensure you are not confusing them with a malignant mole.

According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, most cases of hyperpigmentation are not harmful. However, some patients feel uncomfortable with their appearance, which is why they seek cosmetic treatments.

It is important to recognise that there are other conditions you could confuse with pigmentation. One such example is a malignant mole, which looks like a raised age spot with poorly defined borders. Such moles may change over time, which is another indicator that it is cancerous.

Similarly, pregnant women experience hyperpigmentation, as their bodies produce more melanin in specific areas. For example, they may encounter “the mask of pregnancy;” which is a butterfly-like mask that spreads across their face.