If you pay meticulous attention to your skin, it’s likely you’ll have noticed small areas of discolouration and darkening. Yes, freckles are cute, but we’re not talking freckles, these are larger, uneven dark patches that seem to persist on your face, neck, shoulders and hands.
Pigmentation – or brown spots as they’re more commonly known – are caused by your skin’s arch nemesis, aka the sun. If you’ve read any of our informative articles regarding the damaging effects of sun exposure, you’re probably already pretty up to date with the ways that UVA rays can wreck your skin.
However, we wanted to really get to the bottom of the causes, the cures, and every other pigmentation related problem/question we’ve ever had. So, we turned to top Consultant Dermatologist, Justine Kluk to shed some light on what we’re really up against.
SO, WHAT CAUSES PIGMENTATION?
“Also known as hyper-pigmentation, pigmentation occurs due to an increase in the number of pigment-producing cells in the skin, or the pigmented substance they produce (melanin),” says Justine.
Still with us? Great. Let’s continue. Melasma is the most common form of facial pigmentation, and you’re likely to get it between the ages of 20 and 40. All you lucky people blessed with naturally tanned and darker skin are unfortunately more likely to be affected.
Interestingly, it’s not always brought on by sun exposure, as Justine explains: “Ninety percent of sufferers are female and, in most cases, melasma is thought to be triggered by pregnancy, hormonal medication e.g. the contraceptive pill and medical conditions that cause altered hormone levels.”
“Post-inflammatory pigmentation follows injury or inflammation of the skin, for example following a flare-up of acne or eczema. Whilst often considered a temporary phenomenon, it can be more intense and longer lasting in skin of colour.”
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