Hyperpigmentation is a common condition that makes some areas of your skin darker than others. “Hyper” means “more,” and “pigment” means “color.”

Hyperpigmentation can appear as the following colors:

• Brown

• Black

• Gray

• Red

• Pink

They may be spots or patches. Healthcare providers sometimes call them:

• Age spots

• Sun spots

• Liver spots

The spots can occur in just one area of your body or all over. Hyperpigmentation can affect people of any race or ethnicity.

Your skin is one of the first things you see when you look in a mirror. So it can be difficult when your skin changes color. A healthcare provider can help diagnose what’s going on and offer solutions for managing hyperpigmentation.

 

Symptoms and Causes

What causes hyperpigmentation?

Skin gets its color from a substance called melanin. Your skin cells make melanin. When those skin cells are damaged or unhealthy, they can produce too much melanin. The melanin can clump together, causing that area to appear darker than the skin around it

Many things can lead to hyperpigmentation:

• Adrenal disorders, like Addison’s disease

• Genetics (for example, your biological family may have a lot of freckles)

• Hormone changes, like during puberty or pregnancy

• Injury to your skin (for example, acne, cuts or burns), which providers may call post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation

• Medications, like oral contraceptives (birth control pills) and medications that cause skin sensitivity to light (photosensitivity)

• Melasma

• Not getting enough of certain vitamins, like B12 and folic acid

• Sun damage (providers call these spots solar lentigines)

• Thyroid disorders