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In dermatology
Dermatology

Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and Skin disease, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. The name of this specialty originated in the form of the words dermologie and, a little later, dermatologia ....
, hyperpigmentation is the darkening of an area of skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 or nails
Nail (anatomy)

A nail is a horn -like structure at the end of an animal's finger or toe. See also claw....
 caused by increased melanin
Melanin

Melanin is a class of compounds found in the plant, animal, and protista kingdom , where it serves predominantly as a pigment. The class of pigments are derivatives of the amino acid tyrosine....
.

rpigmentation may be caused by sun damage, inflammation
Inflammation

Inflammation is the complex biological response of Blood vessel tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue....
, or other skin injuries, including those related to acne vulgaris
Acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris is a skin condition caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units . Severe acne is inflammation, but acne can also manifest in noninflammatory forms....
. People with darker Asian, East Indian, Mediterranean or African skin tones are also more prone to hyperpigmentation, especially if they have excess sun exposure.

Hyperpigmentation is associated with a number of diseases or conditions, including:



Hyperpigmentation can sometimes be induced by dermatological laser
Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
 procedures.

tment of hyperpigmentation may include hydroquinone
Hydroquinone

Hydroquinone, also benzene-1,4-diol or quinol, is an aromatic organic compound which is a type of Phenols, having the chemical formula C6H42....
, kojic acid
Kojic acid

Kojic acid is a chelation agent produced by several species of fungi, especially Aspergillus oryzae, which has the Japanese common name koji....
, azelaic acid
Azelaic acid

Azelaic acid is a saturated dicarboxylic acid found naturally in wheat, rye, and barley. It is a natural substance that is produced by Malassezia furfur , a yeast that lives on normal skin....
, ascorbic acid
Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid is a sugar acid with antioxidant properties. Its appearance is white to light-yellow crystals or powder. It is water-soluble. The L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C....
, tretinoin
Tretinoin

Tretinoin is the acid form of vitamin A and so also known as all-trans retinoic acid or ATRA. It is a drug commonly used to treat acne vulgaris and keratosis pilaris....
 (Retinol
Retinol

Retinol, the animal form of vitamin A, is a fat-soluble vitamin important in visual system and bone growth. It is also a Terpenoid. Retinol is among the most useable forms of vitamin A, which also include Retinal , Retinoic acid and retinyl ester ....
), topical glucocorticoid
Glucocorticoid

Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones which bind to the glucocorticoid receptor , which is present in almost every animal cell.GCs are part of the feedback mechanism in the immune system which turns immune activity down....
s, and licorice extract.






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In dermatology
Dermatology

Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and Skin disease, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. The name of this specialty originated in the form of the words dermologie and, a little later, dermatologia ....
, hyperpigmentation is the darkening of an area of skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 or nails
Nail (anatomy)

A nail is a horn -like structure at the end of an animal's finger or toe. See also claw....
 caused by increased melanin
Melanin

Melanin is a class of compounds found in the plant, animal, and protista kingdom , where it serves predominantly as a pigment. The class of pigments are derivatives of the amino acid tyrosine....
.

Causes

Hyperpigmentation may be caused by sun damage, inflammation
Inflammation

Inflammation is the complex biological response of Blood vessel tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue....
, or other skin injuries, including those related to acne vulgaris
Acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris is a skin condition caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units . Severe acne is inflammation, but acne can also manifest in noninflammatory forms....
. People with darker Asian, East Indian, Mediterranean or African skin tones are also more prone to hyperpigmentation, especially if they have excess sun exposure.

Hyperpigmentation is associated with a number of diseases or conditions, including:

  • Addison's disease
    Addison's disease

    Addison's disease is a rare endocrine disorder in which the adrenal gland doesn't produce enough steroid hormones . It may develop in children and adults, and may occur as the result many underlying causes....
     and other sources of adrenal insufficiency
    Adrenal insufficiency

    Adrenal insufficiency is a condition in which the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, do not produce adequate amounts of steroid hormones , primarily cortisol, but may also include impaired aldosterone production which regulates sodium, potassium and water retention....
    , in which hormones that stimulate melanin synthesis, such as melanocyte-stimulating hormone
    Melanocyte-stimulating hormone

    The melanocyte-stimulating hormones are a class of peptide hormones that in nature are produced by cells in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland....
     (MSH), are frequently elevated.
  • Cushing's disease or other excessive adrenocorticotropic hormone
    Adrenocorticotropic hormone

    Adrenocorticotropic hormone is a polypeptide tropic hormone produced and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. It is an important component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and is often produced in response to biological stress ....
     (ACTH) production, because MSH production is a byproduct of ACTH synthesis from proopiomelanocortin
    Proopiomelanocortin

    Pro-opiomelanocortin is a precursor polypeptide with 241 amino acid residues.This gene encodes a polypeptide hormone precursor that undergoes extensive, tissue-specific, post-translational processing via cleavage by subtilisin-like enzymes known as Proprotein convertase....
     (POMC).
  • Acanthosis nigricans
    Acanthosis nigricans

    Acanthosis nigricans is a brown to black, poorly defined, velvety hyperpigmentation of the skin. It is usually found in body folds, such as the posterior and lateral folds of the neck, the axilla, groin, navel, and other areas....
     – hyperpigmentation of intertriginous areas associated with insulin resistance
    Insulin resistance

    Insulin resistance is the condition in which normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal Insulin#Physiological_effects from fat, muscle and liver cell ....
    .
  • Melasma
    Melasma

    Melasma is a tan or dark skin discoloration. Although it can affect anyone, melasma is particularly common in women, especially pregnant women and those who are taking oral or patch contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy medications....
    , also known as chloasma – patchy hyperpigmentation often found in pregnant women.
  • Linea nigra – a hyperpigmented line found on the abdomen
    Abdomen

    In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity....
     during pregnancy
    Pregnancy

    Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the uterus of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or Multiple birth....
    .
  • Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
    Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

    Peutz-Jeghers, also known as Hereditary Intestinal Polyposis Syndrome, is an autosomal dominant genetic disease characterized by the development of benign hamartomatous polyps in the gastrointestinal tract....
     – an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by hyperpigmented macules on the lips and oral mucosa and gastrointestinal polyps
    Polyp (medicine)

    A polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue projecting from a mucous membrane. If it is attached to the surface by a narrow elongated pedicle it is said to be pedunculated....
    .
  • Certain chemicals such as salicylic acid
    Salicylic acid

    Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid with the chemical formula C6H4COOH, where the OH group is adjacent to the carboxylic acid....
    , bleomycin
    Bleomycin

    Bleomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces verticillus. Bleomycin refers to a family of structurally related compounds....
    , and cisplatin
    Cisplatin

    Cisplatin, cisplatinum or cis-diamminedichloridoplatinum is a platinum-based chemotherapy medication used to treat various types of cancers, including sarcomas, some carcinomas , lymphomas and germ cell tumors....
    .
  • Smoker's melanosis
    Smoker's melanosis

    Smoker's melanosis is characterized by flat, irregular hyperpigmentation of the connective tissue underlying the oral mucosa resulting from tobacco smoking....
  • Celiac disease
  • Cronkite-Canada syndrome
  • Porphyria
    Porphyria

    Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes in the heme biosynthetic pathway . They are broadly classified as acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias, based on the site of the overproduction and accumulation of the porphyrins ....
  • Tinea
    Tinea

    Tinea is a general term used to describe skin mycoses. The term "ringworm" is even less precise, but is usually considered a synonym.It is sometimes equated with dermatophytosis, and it is true that most conditions identified as "tinea" are members of the imperfect fungi that make up the dermatophytes....
     fungal infections such as ringworm
    Ringworm

    Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin in humans and domestic animals such as sheep and cattle. Fungi are organisms that survive by eating plant or animal material....
  • Haemochromatosis
    Haemochromatosis

    Haemochromatosis, also spelled hemochromatosis , also called hereditary haemochromatosis, siderophilia and bronze diabetes, is a hereditary disease characterized by excessive absorption of Human iron metabolism resulting in a pathological increase in total body iron stores....
     - a common but debilitating genetic disorder characterized by the chronic accumulation of iron in the body.
  • Powdered jet injections


Hyperpigmentation can sometimes be induced by dermatological laser
Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
 procedures.

Treatment

Treatment of hyperpigmentation may include hydroquinone
Hydroquinone

Hydroquinone, also benzene-1,4-diol or quinol, is an aromatic organic compound which is a type of Phenols, having the chemical formula C6H42....
, kojic acid
Kojic acid

Kojic acid is a chelation agent produced by several species of fungi, especially Aspergillus oryzae, which has the Japanese common name koji....
, azelaic acid
Azelaic acid

Azelaic acid is a saturated dicarboxylic acid found naturally in wheat, rye, and barley. It is a natural substance that is produced by Malassezia furfur , a yeast that lives on normal skin....
, ascorbic acid
Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid is a sugar acid with antioxidant properties. Its appearance is white to light-yellow crystals or powder. It is water-soluble. The L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C....
, tretinoin
Tretinoin

Tretinoin is the acid form of vitamin A and so also known as all-trans retinoic acid or ATRA. It is a drug commonly used to treat acne vulgaris and keratosis pilaris....
 (Retinol
Retinol

Retinol, the animal form of vitamin A, is a fat-soluble vitamin important in visual system and bone growth. It is also a Terpenoid. Retinol is among the most useable forms of vitamin A, which also include Retinal , Retinoic acid and retinyl ester ....
), topical glucocorticoid
Glucocorticoid

Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones which bind to the glucocorticoid receptor , which is present in almost every animal cell.GCs are part of the feedback mechanism in the immune system which turns immune activity down....
s, and licorice extract. All treatments fail if the affected area is exposed to the sun with inadequate UVA/UVB protection.

See also

  • Hypopigmentation
    Hypopigmentation

    Hypopigmentation is the loss of skin color. It is caused by melanocyte depletion — a decrease in the amino acid tyrosine, which is used by melanocytes to make melanin....