Pigment spots on the face | Pigment spots

Pigment spots on the face

Pigment spots (hyperpigmentation) are brown colorations of the skin caused by the activation of melanocytes. This activation takes place mainly through the UV radiation contained in sunlight. For this reason, pigment spots are very often found on the face, shoulders and hands.

Pigment spots can appear in the form of freckles (ephecids) or age spots (lentigo solaris) and take on different shades of brownish, reddish or ochre. A quite common special form of pigmentation disorders is the café-au-lait stain, which owes its name to its light to dark brown very even pigmentation. However, it is not only found specifically in the facial area.

The so-called pregnancy mask (chloasma) is hormonal. In many pregnant women, the nipples temporarily darken during pregnancy and the typical brown line from navel to pubic bone (Linea nigra) forms. Sharp, irregularly defined pigmentation marks on the face can also occur.

They are mainly found on the forehead, temples, cheeks and chin and are often very symmetrical. Since the pregnancy mask usually recedes of its own accord after pregnancy, bleaches are not recommended. Instead, cosmetics can be used if the pigment spots are perceived as very annoying.

To prevent pregnancy masks at least partially, it is recommended to use sunscreen and not to expose yourself to intensive sunlight. Some drugs have the property of increasing the light sensitivity of the skin and can thus also contribute to the formation of pigment spots. These include certain antibiotics (above all tetracyclines such as doxycycline, which is often used to treat urinary tract or gastrointestinal infections), chemotherapeutic agents and also St. John’s wort preparations. If facial pigment disorders are perceived as very disturbing or if there is a suspicion of degeneration of pigment spots, these can be lightened or removed just like in other parts of the body using various treatment methods such as lasers or bleaching creams.

Prognosis and summary

Due to the large number of pigment spots and the potential malignant degeneration, moles should be examined by a dermatologist at regular intervals. Freckles, café-au-lait stains and small spotted lentigens consist of normal melanocytes and are not a risk for the development of malignant melanoma. However, the development of malignant melanoma is directly related to the number of nevus cell nevi present.

Dysplastic nevi can develop directly from nevus cell nevi and increase the risk of melanoma 100-fold. Likewise, nevi that are already present at birth (connatal nevi) can promote the development of malignant melanoma.