Sunday, March 28, 2010

Pigmentation & How to protect your skin?

Pigmentation is a common condition in which some areas of the skin are darker than others. This is due to an ecxess of melanin (the brown pigment that determines skin colour) in certain ares of the skin.

There are a few types of pigmentation : -
i. age / liver spots : People who sunburn easiluy are more likely to develop this condition or even due to old age
ii. Melasma : about the same with age spots but in a largers areas. This happens due to hormone changes and happen to pregant women as well as the women with the contraceptives.
iii. freckles : small, circular spots on the skin : this happens to fair-skinned people, particularlly after extended exposure to the sun. The colour from yellow, reddish or brown.

How to protect your skin?
Excessive sun exposure ca lead to skin pigmentation. The steps to tak care your are as follows : -
1. use sunscreen every time you go out into the sun, At lease SPF 30 to protect against harmful UVA and UVB rays
2. Try to void sun exposure bewteen 10am to 4pm when the ultraviolet rays are at their strongest
3. Use hat or umbrella and sunglasses to protect yourself if you are to go out
4. Exfoliating your skin regularly. This helps to remove dead skin cells
5. Consult your dermatologist if the skin pigmentation persists.