What causes skin pigmentation marks and patches?

Posted on 05 Jul, 2011

Nearly everyone, no matter what their skin colour or ethnicity, is likely to be affected by uneven skin pigmentation in some form. However, for some people, it is more noticeable than others. This can have a negative effect on self-esteem, causing many people to opt for laser treatment for skin pigmentation.

However, before booking an appointment at a laser treatment clinic, it can be useful to know something of what causes uneven skin pigmentation.

Uneven pigmentation comes in many forms – freckling, dark or light patches, blotchy areas or discolouration. It happens because of increased melanin production, which is also known as hyperpigmentation, and can cause:

Melasma – the darkening of the skin
Solar lentigo – darkened spots on the skin which are caused either by exposure to the sun’s UV rays or by age
Chloasma – discolouration in the skin caused by a hormonal change such as pregnancy. It can also be caused by oestrogen replacement therapy and by taking birth control pills

Even if you take excellent care of your skin and take steps to protect it from sun exposure, you may still have some marks or patches of discoloured skin through hereditary causes. This is why laser treatment for skin pigmentation is always a viable option should you ever feel the need to even out your skin tone.