Discoloration

Take a look in the mirror. Do you notice dark spots or areas of brown, patchy discoloration on your complexion? It’s likely due to hyperpigmentation, one of the most common skin conditions across all skin tones. Hyperpigmentation is an increase in pigment (or melanin) that your skin cells have produced.

If you’re experiencing skin discoloration, you may be wondering how these dark spots appeared in the first place. From overexposure to the sun to family genetics, there are a few culprits to blame for skin discoloration. Some of the most common factors are listed below:

• Sun exposure: After time spent in the sun, our skin goes into protection mode and increases its melanin production in order to shield itself from the damaging effects of the sun’s harmful UV rays. The extra melanin can give us a sun tan, but in some cases, an uneven increase in melanin production can produce irregular coloring on the skin. In fact, overexposure to the sun is the leading cause of dark spots in light-skinned individuals, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
• Genetics: Do you have a family history of skin discoloration? If so, that could be the reason behind your dark spots.
• Hormones: Melasma is a form of skin discoloration that is often associated with pregnancy, though it can affect anyone. It typically appears on areas of skin exposed to sunlight – cheeks, upper lip, forehead, etc. – though it can appear elsewhere on the body as well. While sun exposure is one of the factors related to melasma, other factors like hormonal fluctuations can also be to blame. If your discolored patches are due to melasma, it’s possible they may fade on their own after pregnancy.
• Skin trauma: Changes in skin color can result from damage to the skin, including a bad breakout, or from cuts, burns, infections, and other skin injuries.
• Traffic-related air pollution: Recent studies suggest there may be a correlation between traffic-related air pollution and dark spots. Research has found that those who were exposed to nitrogen dioxide experienced more dark spots on their cheeks, but those spots were even more evident on the cheeks of women living in urban areas with increased polluted air.