Other names: Skin Pigment Disorder

Skin pigmentation disorders alter the colour of the skin. The colour of skin is dependant on the amount of brown pigment (melanin) in the skin. The general population has a range of skin colours with pale or fair skin having only a little melanin, darker skin having a moderate amount of melanin and very dark skin having a higher level of melanin.  In each individual person the amount of melanin within the skin usually has a uniform distribution so the skin has an overall even colour.

Pigmentation disorders are changes in the usual amount of melanin within the skin, this can be small localized patches and sometimes large areas.  When the skin area has no pigment present it is called depigmentation and the skin is white.  Hypopigmentation is when the skin has an abnormally low amount of melanin so the skin area is lighter that the normal skin colour.  Hyperpigmentation occurs when there is an unusually high level of melanin in the affected skin and this results in the skin being darker than normal.

Drugs used to treat Skin Pigmentation Disorder