Pigmentation Problems Explained

We are used to pigmentation problems here at The Birmingham Pigmentation Clinic, but if you are suffering with this common, but very unwelcome, problem then you may be confused by all the products and “miracle cures” available which profess to help the problem.

Pigmentation conditions occur because the body produces either too much melanin (hyperpigmentation) or too little (hypopigmentation). Melanin is the natural pigment responsible for the colour of our skin, hair and eyes, and is produced in the skin by cells called melanocytes, which are located in the basal layer of the epidermis.

Melanin is produced via a complex chain of reactions that involve the synthesis of Tyrosinase, an amino acid. It is melanin that protects the body from damaging ultraviolet light, by giving us what we call a “suntan”.

Those with congenital (present at birth) hypopigmentary conditions, such as albinism, suffer with an absence of melanin and this causes light skin, white or pale yellow hair, and light blue or gray/pink eyes). Acquired hypopigmentation may be soething like vitilgo, which creates smooth, depigmented white spots on the skin. These people need to take extra care to protect their skin from the sun’s UV rays.

‘Liver spots’ or ‘age spots’ occur due to cumulative sun damage, and are a common form of hyperpigmentation. This is when the body produces too much melanin, causing skin to become darker than usual.

Over the years, our skin is exposed to a number of environmental stressors, which cause damage that can reach the deepest layers of your skin. This damage cannot usually be seen with the naked eye until it rises to the surface of the skin, in the form of ‘age spots’, freckles or brown blotches, although it is visible under a special lamp, such as a Woods Lamp. Known as Photodamage and caused by the sun’s harmful rays this is the main cause of the fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation spots that you may already see or you will eventually see on your face.

Click here to read our factsheet, “11 Reasons To Stay Out of the Sun” by Jan Marini

Call us on 01564 702344 for a skin analysis under a Woods Lamp and find out what your skin is really trying to tell you!