The past weekend we pushed our little noses into the sun to get a tan. Me too and I was happy to see some color appear on my face but I also saw that I seemed to have activated some pigmentation spots. So this time I asked; what is pigment and what does it do to your skin.
What is pigment?
Pigment is a brown coloring made by pigment cells. These cells are located in your skin. Through small grains in your skin the pigment is transported to the outer skin layer (epidermis), which gives your skin and hair it’s color. Pigment covers the cells protecting it from UV radiation from the sun. It’s not true that people withy a darker skin color have more pigment cells, it has more to do with the amount of pigment your cells produce and how strong it is. This determines how long the pigment stays in the skin. Your tan depends on these factors. The sunlight increases the amount of pigment cells that then all start their work in giving you a tan.
Problems with pigment
The process I described can be disturbed. By hormones for example or by old age, skin irritations or being out in the sun too long. Pigmentation can appear in any size or form. Pigmentation is common and can be treated if you know what type you have. A dermatologist can help. It turns out our Jet had three kinds of pigmentation that have all been analyzed.
Pigmentation appears on surfaces that have been in the sun a lot. Not strange we see these spots on faces, neck or hands. The more you’re out in the sun the darker the spots can become. They are nothing more than a concentration of pigment cells.
What to do?
You usually see them more in the summer than in the winter. Logically your skin is more exposed to sun in the summer. In the winter the cells hide out. If they bother you it’s best to treat them so they won’t get worse. Use a sunscreen with a high SPF as pigmentation needs a lot of protection preferably one that is especially suited for pigment spots. There are other ways of getting rid of then for more information it’s best to see your dermatologist.
