Pigmentation or hyperpigmentation is a term that we use to describe dark spots or patches or even general darkening of the skin in the upper layers of the skin. We have certain cells which are pigment cells and are called melanocytes and these produce a certain pigment called melanin this is evenly distributed in the skin and gives all of us the color that we normally possess.
We can get darkening of the skin due to many factors both external and internal at any time in our lives, the most common external cause of pigmentation is ultraviolet radiation or sunlight and one of the commonest internal causes is hormones especially in women any of these factors can increase the pigment cells in the skin or actually activate the cells to produce more melanin. There are many common types of pigmentation freckles it’s sports melasma post inflammatory hyperpigmentation etc these often caused a cosmetic problem and hence require treatment freckles are a typical common response to sunlight and you can see them as light brown spots on the face and exposed parts of the body they often seen in fair-skinned individuals and from very young ages they can be effectively prevented by Good son’s cleaning habits.
Spots also called antigens are darker spots and these are often seen as we grow older after the ages of 40. Melasma is a kind of pigment which shows up most commonly on the cheeks in the form of brownish or grayish brown patches which are sharply defined they can also come up on the forehead and on the chin two main factors causing melasma are sunlight and hormones and it is more common in women very often melasma appears either during or post pregnancy often we find pigmentation being left behind after we develop boils or other infections eczemas other allergies injuries etc. On the skin and this is something that we call post inflammatory hyperpigmentation it gets left behind because there is some inflammation in that part of the skin there are certain cosmetics perfumes and other allergens which can own their own leave dark patches on the skin and we call this pigmented contact dermatitis another common cause of patchy pigmentation is aging itself and this is because of the effect of ultraviolet radiation or sunlight on the skin.
We often see that beginning with unevenness of tone a little bit of patchy dark spots and an alteration in texture so the skin gets a bit rougher this we can prevent to a large extent through Goodson’s cleaning habits which we should adopt at a very young in life last but not the least dark circles those dark patches that we see below our eyes are very often there for millions for different factors such as age itself stresses energies dry skin can aggravate the appearance the problem with dark circles is that they make us look dull and tired if you suffer from pigmentation then you should be looking for a comprehensive and holistic solution to this problem there are many different kinds of products topically prescribed medications and chemical peels which when combined together can help us get rid of your superficial pigmentation ideally they should be customized for you by your dermatologist after a detailed evaluation of your specific skin concern and then deciding the best possible way to address it if we need something deeper then there’s a specific laser called the q-switch and AG laser which is very safe and effective and specifically targets the melanin in the skin without affecting the neighboring areas and leaves your skin clear and flawless the first one through two really good skin care is to protect your skin using a sunscreen you can use a sunscreen of SPF 15 to 30 could be even higher however what is more important is how you apply it a sunscreen needs to be applied in a thin film across the face and the exposed areas of the body and then left on for 15 to 20 minutes so that it can settle in if you tend to sweat a lot you may need to reapply this every two to four hours and of course you should apply a sunscreen even if you’re indoors because the ultraviolet radiation or even the visible light which is indoors can also affect your skin and cause pigmentation a good cleansing regime is very important to keep your skin clean choose a cleanser which is formulated for your skin type try OB or normal you can use this twice or thrice daily if your skin is oily you can add a toner for deeper cleansing after cleansing your skin you need to hydrate and this can be done using a moisturizer in the day time your sunscreen.
Itself can be this moisturizer at night you can use a night cream containing vitamin C and this will also help to keep your pigmentation and be a balanced diet good sleep and adequate exercise is very important in keeping your skin healthy incorporate foods in your diet which are rich in vitamin C and Sun protecting agents like beta carotene and antioxidant for example red and orange fruits and foods like carrots tomatoes peppers and other vegetables such as cauliflower broccoli spinach greens etc. and Omega rich foods fish and shellfish and a bowel relax this stress fill your lives with positive energy.
