What are the pigmentation causes, types, and solutions?

What are the pigmentation causes, types, and solutions? The skin pigment is generally divided into four categories. These are:

1. Natural pigmentation
2. Acquired pigmentation 
3. Pigmentation disorders
4. Congenital pigmentation. 

Natural pigmentation occurs at birth or during childhood. It results from the genetic makeup of the body cells and the formation of melanin in the skin.

Acquired pigmentation results from environmental factors like sun exposure, pollutants in the air, chemical irritants, etc. Acquired pigmentation can occur due to trauma, burns, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and cancer. 

Pigment disorders include:

• Vitiligo (inflammation of the skin).
• Albinism (loss of color in eyes).
• X-linked pigmented condition (Ludwig-Christian disease).

Congenital pigmentation is caused by congenital disabilities (like cleft lip or palate) which affect one or both parents. Usually, it leads to a lack of pigmentation and subsequent development of other developmental problems like hearing impairment, obesity, asthma, eczema, diabetes, etc.

Pigments in our skin have diverse functions. They are a protective barrier against harmful rays from sunlight, as an antioxidant, and protect our internal organs. Skin pigmentation also has some therapeutic and cosmetic uses. For example, when it helps to treat certain skin diseases like psoriasis or acne.

Pigments in the human skin

There are seven primary pigments present in human skin. There is a wide range of stains, which we use for various purposes like making jewelry, tattooing, ornaments, painting, etc. In nature, each pigmented pigment acts separately, but they all work together in the presence of sunlight. Here the pigmentation occurs due to the action of UV rays. This process happens even after death. So, if you look carefully, you will find that each cell produces millions of new cells daily! The more these new cells are made, the darker your skin gets. If there’s no melanin or the cell cannot produce any melanin, your skin won’t get a light color. Hence, in humans, melanin production does not depend on age or sex; consequently, the distribution pattern and type differ among individuals.

Types of pigments in the skin

According to the International Union of Dermatology Classification, six significant types of pigments exist in human skin, namely melanocytes, and three other subtypes of photoreceptive structures called 

1. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)
2. Choroidal pigment epithelium (CPE) 
3. Conjunctival pigment epithelium (CPE)

Melanocytes, RPE, and CPE are responsible for producing a dark pigment called melanin. Therefore, melanin is the most essential and abundant pigment in human skin, giving us different shades of color. Dark stains are generally seen in dark skin and hair. Light pigments are seen in more delicate skin and hair.

The best way to know what pigments are present in someone’s skin is to observe their skin under ultraviolet light. When this kind of exposure is done frequently, the resulting skin would be a mixture of various colors. As you move up the ladder of pigmentation, you will notice variations due to increased melanin levels.

UVA – UvA rays damage melanin. This is why melanin is called the “reduced” pigment due to how it reacts with UV-A. What happens when you expose yourself to sunlight? 

Sunlight breaks down your DNA and makes your skin darker. Exposure to blue rays, or ultraviolet radiation, is the reason behind this. UV rays penetrate through the epidermis layer and into the deeper layers of the dermis. The effect of UV rays penetrates the dermis very fast due to the collagen that exists in the dermis. Since dark melanin absorbs UVA light, it becomes damaged quickly. Thus, we see spots appear on the face faster than white spots after 5 minutes of exposure to UV, whereas tanning beds and sunscreen take longer before sites start appearing. The best option to prevent melanin pigment from getting damaged is using vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can cause black spots because it contains healthy tissues and skin cells from absorbing UV light (which is essential in maintaining the standard color of the skin) since vitamin D is converted to melanin (which can destroy the skin pigment) and also the effects of UV rays.

The easiest way to stay safe from UV damage is to eat fish. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce the chance of developing skin cancer. It also helps reduce wrinkles (also called sagging skin) on the upper cheek, forehead region, chin & jaw areas. Some people may experience allergic reactions to fish, so avoid it altogether. The most common symptoms of allergies caused by fish intake are itching, red swelling, swollen eyelids, hives, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, cough, and chest tightness. People who eat it should limit it to 2 servings per week or 1/2 tsp of fish per meal. Avoid the following:

• Raw fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, trout, cod, pilchard)
• Oily fish (sardines, mackerels, anchovies, cod)
• Canned tuna and salmon
• Frozen fish (salmon fillets)
• Smoked pork chops
• Pickled cucumbers
• Dried shrimp

To make your diet healthier, you can:

1. Use vegetable oils like olive oil instead of animal fats like butter, lard, honey, and coconut oil in cooking instead of butter and lard.
2. Make sure oatmeal doesn’t contain dairy products and eggs and choose gluten-free bread and pasta noodles over those containing gluten.
3. For a low-calorie diet, try avoiding food that has added sugar. You can make your meals without meat, dairy products, or eggs with vegetable broth or soy sauce instead of beef soup, chicken noodle soup, bean sprout soup, or spaghetti and tomato sauce (with less fat).
4. Keep fruits and vegetables fresh and replace processed packaged foods with whole foods so nothing goes bad.
5. Eat less salt; however, you may be unable to avoid a lot of sodium.

A teaspoon (approximately 1/4 fl oz.) of table salt contains 4,700 mg sodium. The average adult needs about 1200 mg (about 20 grams) daily.

Natural pigments

Natural pigments are present in each cell of the skin, meaning there’s a considerable amount of melanin in those cells. It’s just that each cell produces more or less melanin due to gene mutation or another kind of inheritance. Melanin in humans causes brown pigmentation on the skin. Due to high exposure to sunlight, there is higher production of melanin in the skin, which gets incorporated onto the skin surface due to melanocortin levels. Because of continuous exposure to sunlight, we end up wearing darker skin on skin.

Some diseases may affect the quantity of melanin present in the skin. Melanoma (cancerous growth) is a condition wherein the skin exhibits the abnormal type of melanin known as malignant melanoma (MM). MM has spread from the area around the eye to the back of the head, neck, and trunk. The largest percentage of patients diagnosed with MMs are males who are between 50–70 years old.

Vitiligo, a type of cutaneous xeroderma pigmentosum (XPD) disorder, is a condition where the skin loses color. While we don’t usually think of it in terms of color changes, they might change skin color. Vitiligo usually begins in early adulthood. Once this condition progresses, it typically causes loss of hair and eyebrows, making them appear whiter. Over time, the state can develop into total body loss. Sometimes complete loss of hair may occur too.

Albinism is a form of phenotypic blindness wherein someone loses the ability to perceive light. It can be inherited in an autosomal recessive manner or an autosomal dominant manner. Approximately 30% of cases are attributed to X-linked Albinism.

Tungsten Ionization is a technique used in photography for reproducing the image of photos printed on photographic material on the surface of copper foils. Tungsten ionization produces a metallic appearance on the photo print using high pressure and vacuum to obtain a fine metal structure on the copper surface to reproduce the desired image.

Acute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (ACLE) is a chronic, progressive, systemic autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology involving immune system dysfunction. 

ACLE is a rare condition with an estimated incidence rate of 0.36–0.69 cases per 100,000 population. Patients with the syndrome often present with a rash and may progress to severe inflammation. The disease is highly variable and can manifest itself locally as erythematous patches or, more severely, central and deep. It can result in a wide array of clinical manifestations including skin eruptions, mucosa involvement and vasculitis, arthritis, joint injury, and vasculopathy. Studies show that approximately 25% of people with ACLE do not respond to standard immunosuppressive agents.