Cause
The causes for the appearance of a pigment disorder on the forehead are manifold. The possible causes of the pigment disorder also depend on the exact form of the skin change. In many cases, several independent factors must interact to cause a pigment disorder in the epidermis.
The most common causes for the development of a pigment disorder on the forehead include: hereditary factors mechanical irritation of the epidermis (e.g. pressure or friction) thermal influences (heat or cold) medications skin care products cosmetics hormonal changes The various types of pigment disorder (hyper- or hypopigmentation) also differ significantly in their mechanism of development. A pigment disorder on the forehead, which is characterized by an increased number of color pigments (hyperpigmentation), can be caused either by an overall increase in melanin synthesis, or by larger quantities of melanin being stored in the epidermis. In both cases, the affected area of skin on the forehead appears much darker than the unaffected skin surface.
An increase in melanin synthesis can be induced mainly by the influence of UV radiation. Furthermore, some hormones seem to have a stimulating effect on melanin production. Various inflammatory diseases are also thought to be a possible cause for the appearance of a pigment disorder on the forehead.
In technical terminology, the skin symptoms remaining after an inflammatory reaction in the area of the epidermis are referred to as “post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation”. This phenomenon can be observed especially in people suffering from psoriasis. A pigment disorder on the forehead in the form of hypopigmentation always occurs when the melanin content in the affected skin area is reduced.
A reduction in the melanin content can be caused by a decrease in the number of melanocytes or a reduced melanin production.In addition, a pigment disorder on the forehead in the form of hypopigmentation can occur because the transmission of melanin to the horny cells of the upper skin layers is disturbed. In this context, the diseases psoriasis and neurodermatitis in particular play a decisive role. In so-called “depigmentation”, this pigment is completely absent in the affected skin area.
Depigmentation as a pigment disorder on the forehead occurs, for example, when melanocytes are destroyed by extreme cold, X-rays, toxic substances or inflammatory processes. Another cause of the development of a pigment disorder on the forehead is the so-called white spot disease (vitiligo), in which the pigment melanin is probably destroyed by an autoimmune reaction. Albinism is a special form of the pigment disorder.
Melanocytes cannot form in this congenital disorder. For this reason, the affected persons also lack melanin storage on the forehead.
- Hereditary factors
- Mechanical irritation of the epidermis (for example pressure or friction)
- Thermal influences (heat or cold)
- Drugs
- Skin care products
- Cosmetics
- Changes in the hormone balance
