THE SKIN is the outer covering of the body. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system, made up of multiple layers of mesodermal tissue and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. As it interfaces with the environment, skin plays a key role in protecting the body against pathogens and excessive water loss. Its other functions are insulation, temperature regulation, sensation and the synthesis of vitamin D.
The amount of vitamin D is reflective of skin pigmentation. This varies among populations with more pigmentation referring to a darker skin and lesser to a lighter one. When this level becomes unbalanced, one suffers from a condition known as hyper pigmentation. Here, there may be an increased melanin deposition in the epidermis or dermis. Epidermal pigmentary disorders respond well to treatment while dermal pigmentation may take a long time to lighten. These conditions can be generally categorised as:
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Melasma : Seen as brown patches on the face, it is more commonly seen in females. It occurs due to hormonal changes in the body. The pigmentation increases on sun sun exposure.
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Peri-orbital melanosis : Also known as dark circles, this happens either due to heridatary factors, or due to stress or eye strain
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Freckles and Lentigenes : These are tiny black spots on the face and are genetic in origin.
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Photomelanosis : This is increased pigmentation due to sun exposure. The pigmentation occurs on exposed skin, commonly on the face, neck and the back. The pigmentation may be patchy or as diffused darkening.
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Sun burn (tan) : A condition commonly encountered in fair skinned people due to excessive sun exposure.
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Post inflammatory hyper pigmentation : This may happen after healing has occurred, like in acne, eczemas, contact dermatitis.
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Drug induced pigmentation: Such pigmentation is due to cosmetics especially those containing fragrance.
This condition can be treated via Hydroquinone, a popular phenolic derivative used in lightening and skin bleaching creams. This is often applied to affected areas either alone or in combination with salicylic acid, tretinoin, corticosteroid or glycolic acid. Hydroquinone in a four per cent concentration, can fade hyper pigmentation but, it also increases chances of sun damage. Plus, continuous use can cause some adverse side effects including skin irritation.
People also use expensive treatments like, laser skin resurfacing to quickly fade hyper pigmentation. The entire procedure lasts about one hour and involves the use of a laser to remove wrinkled or damaged skin layer by layer. Here, potential complications could include everything from burning and scarring to skin discolouration. In rare situations, dormant viruses or infections can be triggered.
In this regard, Microdermabrasion is a fairly new cosmetic procedure that uses a special machine to remove layers of dead skin on the surface of the treated area. This usually requires eight to ten weekly treatments to successfully fade hyper pigmentation. For this reason, it can take two or more months to achieve the desired results. However, it only gets rid of a small amount of dead skin layers in spite of the fact that is administered of several weeks.
One can also go for home chemical peels. For many individuals, these are an affordable and effective way to fade hyper pigmentation in a short amount of time with the help of tomato, orange peel paste, sandal wood paste, fresh milk, honey with curd , rose water and banana paste.
