Pigmentation disorder - Misplaced Pages

Medical condition

Pigmentation disorder
Specialty	Dermatology

Pigmentation disorders are disturbances of human skin color. There may be a loss or reduction, which may be related to loss of melanocytes or the inability of melanocytes to produce melanin or transport melanosomes correctly.

Most pigmentation disorders involve the underproduction or overproduction of melanin.

Causes

Skin pigmentation is a frequent disorder that has a number of potential causes. Genetics, sun exposure, and some drugs are the three main factors that contribute to skin pigmentation.

The most frequent cause of low melanin concentration (hypopigmentation) is prior skin trauma, which includes skin lesions including blisters, burns, infections, exposure to chemicals, and other wounds. The skin will appear paler than the surrounding skin surface once an injury has healed.

Different areas of the skin may be hypopigmented as a result of other genetic illnesses. Hypopigmentation can be caused by hereditary conditions such as vitiligo, melasma, pityriasis versicolor, pityriasis alba, albinism, and fungal infections.

Hyperpigmentation results from an increase in melanin synthesis, which is mostly brought on by sun exposure, dermatological disorders, hormones, aging, genetic factors, skin injuries or inflammation, and acne. Sun exposure, which greatly increases the synthesis of melanin, is the most common cause of hyperpigmentation.

Mechanism

Genetics is one of the most common causes of skin color. Skin cells called melanocytes are responsible for producing melanin. The number of melanocytes that each person will have may be predicted by genetics. Melanosomes, which are organelles containing melanin, must be transported and increased during hyperpigmentation and tanning, while they shrink during hypopigmentation.

Skin pigmentation is frequently caused by sun exposure. To protect itself against UV radiation from the sun, the body makes more melanin. As a result, the skin may become more pigmented to protect it from the sun's rays.

The pigmentation of the skin may also be lightened by certain drugs. Antibiotics are one type of medications that can increase the synthesis of melanin, which darkens skin. Skin pigmentation may also become more intense when certain drugs, such birth control pills, are taken concurrently.

References

^ James, William D.; Elston, Dirk; Treat, James R.; Rosenbach, Misha A.; Neuhaus, Isaac (2020). "36. Disturbances of pigmentation". Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology (13th ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier. pp. 862–880. ISBN 978-0-323-54753-6.
"MedlinePlus: Skin Pigmentation Disorders".
"Introduction: Pigment Disorders: Merck Manual Home Edition".
^ Thawabteh, Amin Mahmood; Jibreen, Alaa; Karaman, Donia; Thawabteh, Alà; Karaman, Rafik (2023-06-18). "Skin Pigmentation Types, Causes and Treatment—A Review". Molecules. 28 (12). MDPI AG: 4839. doi:10.3390/molecules28124839. ISSN 1420-3049. PMC 10304091.

External links

Classification	D ICD-11: ED60 - ED6Y ICD-10: L81 ICD-9-CM: 709.09 MeSH: D010859 DiseasesDB: 29542 SNOMED CT: 414032001
External resources	Scholia: Q7193408

Pigmentation disorders/Dyschromia

Hypo-/
leucism

Loss of
melanocytes

Vitiligo	Quadrichrome vitiligo Vitiligo ponctué
Syndromic	Alezzandrini syndrome Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada syndrome
Melanocyte development	Piebaldism Waardenburg syndrome Tietz syndrome

Loss of melanin/
amelanism

Albinism	Oculocutaneous albinism Ocular albinism in humans
Melanosome transfer	Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome Chédiak–Higashi syndrome Griscelli syndrome Elejalde syndrome Griscelli syndrome type 2 Griscelli syndrome type 3
Other	Cross syndrome ABCD syndrome Albinism–deafness syndrome Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis Phylloid hypomelanosis Progressive macular hypomelanosis

Leukoderma w/o
hypomelanosis

Ungrouped

Hyper-

Melanin/
Melanosis/
Melanism

Reticulated	Dermatopathia pigmentosa reticularis Pigmentatio reticularis faciei et colli Reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura Reticular pigmented anomaly of the flexures Naegeli–Franceschetti–Jadassohn syndrome Dyskeratosis congenita X-linked reticulate pigmentary disorder Galli–Galli disease Revesz syndrome
Diffuse/ circumscribed	Lentigo/Lentiginosis: Lentigo simplex Liver spot Centrofacial lentiginosis Generalized lentiginosis Inherited patterned lentiginosis in black persons Ink spot lentigo Lentigo maligna Mucosal lentigines Partial unilateral lentiginosis PUVA lentigines Melasma Erythema dyschromicum perstans Lichen planus pigmentosus Café au lait spot Poikiloderma (Poikiloderma of Civatte Poikiloderma vasculare atrophicans) Riehl melanosis
Linear	Incontinentia pigmenti Scratch dermatitis Shiitake mushroom dermatitis
Other/ ungrouped	Acanthosis nigricans Freckle Familial progressive hyperpigmentation Pallister–Killian syndrome Periorbital hyperpigmentation Photoleukomelanodermatitis of Kobori Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation Transient neonatal pustular melanosis

Other
pigments

Iron	Hemochromatosis Iron metallic discoloration Pigmented purpuric dermatosis Schamberg disease Majocchi's disease Gougerot–Blum syndrome Doucas and Kapetanakis pigmented purpura/Eczematid-like purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis Lichen aureus Angioma serpiginosum Hemosiderin hyperpigmentation
Other metals	Argyria Chrysiasis Arsenic poisoning Lead poisoning Titanium metallic discoloration
Other	Carotenosis Tar melanosis

Dyschromia

Causes

Mechanism

References

Further reading

External links