Wednesday, November 17, 2010

We Will Tell You The Reason For Dark Pigmentation On Face Skin

Dark pigmentation on face skin is typically caused by overexposure to sunlight, which stimulates increased melanin production. Melanin is a pigment produced by specialized cells in the deepest of the skin's layers.

For reasons that are not fully understood, sometimes it clumps.

Brownish or red spots that appear anywhere on the skin, but are not raised like moles, consist of clusters or clumps of melanin-infused skin cells. If they disappear in the winter, they are freckles. Those that stay throughout the year are lentigines.

Fair-skinned people are more likely to have these heavily pigmented areas. The freckles appear as a result of sun exposure. The lentigines appear as a result of repeated exposure over the course of many years.

Lentigines are also referred to as age or liver spots, although they have nothing to do with the liver and little to do with a person's age, except for the amount of sun exposure that accompanies living a longer life.

Pregnant women often notice dark pigmentation on face skin due to the hormonal changes accompanying pregnancy. The phenomenon is sometimes referred to as the mask of pregnancy. Once the hormones stabilize, the darker area starts to fade. The mask may last throughout a woman's pregnancy or only for the first few months.

Hormones and sunlight are not the only things that stimulate melanin production, although they are the two most likely causes. Let's look briefly at a few of the other melanin-stimulants.

Excessive intake of carotenoids, which are antioxidants found in carrots and other vegetables, can cause bronzing of the skin. The increased pigmentation is usually even, rather than being clumped in a single spot. Pills promoted as "tanning supplements" contain carotenoids.

Vitamin D may play a role in melanin production and dark pigmentation on face skin. However, it is sunlight that triggers vitamin D production and melanin synthesis, so it is difficult to say how much of an impact vitamin D actually has. It is not likely to cause an age spot.

People who smoke cigarettes seem to be more likely to develop age spots. The result is due to the toxins found in cigarette smoke. They cause free radical damage within the skin's layers.

Exposure to the compounds used in sunless tanners can cause darker spots or patches instead of an even tan. Products containing chromium are examples, but there are many others. Sometimes exposure is accidental and the spot fades in a short period of time.

Understanding the causes of dark pigmentation on face skin will help you understand the effective treatments, which are discussed in an upcoming article.

1 comment:

Makari Skin Lightening said...
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