hyper hypo depigmentation, white spot disease, vitiligo
Symptoms
The main symptom of pigmentation disorders and pigmentation disorders of the face is that the skin is too strong or too weak or completely lacking in color, which can affect individual areas or the entire body. Depending on the type of pigment disorder, however, the symptoms differ considerably in terms of size, symmetry, color and/or severity. Freckles are usually at least partially hereditary.
They are small, round, sharply defined, frequently occurring brownish spots that appear only on skin areas that are exposed to direct sunlight. The brown coloration increases with increased exposure to sunlight. Freckles are usually more likely to be found in younger people and are preferred on the face, upper body and arms.
Blond or redheads with light skin are most frequently affected. The so-called age spots (lentigines seniles, lenticular spots) are also caused by an increased formation of melanin as a result of many years of exposure to light on the skin, but they appear at the earliest from the age of 40. They are slightly larger and darker than freckles and are most commonly found on the back of the hands, forearms or face.
Pigmentation disorders on the neck are also widespread. Another form of hyperpigmentation is melasma (cholasma). Younger women are particularly affected by this pigment disorder, often during pregnancy or after taking hormonal contraceptives.
The appearance is brownish pigmentation, particularly on the forehead, temples and cheeks, which is often distributed symmetrically over the face. More rarely, the spots are also found on the forearms. In contrast to the lens spots or freckles, these skin changes are irregularly shaped and can also merge into larger areas.
Under the influence of sunlight, the corresponding skin areas can become even darker. Vitiligo (white spot disease) is a spot-like, complete discoloration of the skin on various parts of the body, mostly on the hands, arms, legs, face and genital area. From time to time it happens that in this area also the hair is white.
As a rule, this disease begins in childhood or adolescence and often occurs in connection with other diseases (e.g. thyroid disease or diabetes mellitus). When diagnosing this disease, it is particularly important to differentiate between white spot disease and yeast fungus disease, as the latter also causes white spots on the skin, but requires a different therapy. In albinism the production of melanin is either shut down or completely stopped, but the melanocytes are present.
In contrast to the white spot disease, the symptoms appear evenly all over the body. Depending on the severity, affected persons have lighter skin, hair and also eyes or, if the melanin is completely missing, a slightly pink shining skin, white blond hair and pink eyes. Because the skin is poorly protected against UV rays due to the melanin deficiency, there is an increased risk of sunburn and skin cancer. Since the iris of the eye is also practically colorless, these patients have an increased sensitivity to light and, under certain circumstances, reduced vision as a result.
