How do I know if my hyperpigmentation is epidermal or dermal?

Author: Julie Mayert  |  Last update: Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Epidermal pigmentation is mostly brown and fades out in several months. Dermal pigmentation has a grey-brown colour and is generally permanent for years.

Is my pigmentation dermal or epidermal?

Dermal and epidermal pigmentation are depending on d depth. epidermal is more superficial and dark brown while dermal is deep into skin and slate grey or faint in colour.

How can you tell the difference between epidermal and dermal melasma?

Melasma can be categorized as “epidermal” or “dermal”, or mixed. Epidermal melasma means the pigment (melanin) is in the more superficial layers of the skin called the epidermis. Dermal melasma means that the pigment is in the deeper layers of the skin.

What does dermal hyperpigmentation look like?

Epidermal hypermelanosis will appear tan, brown, or dark brown and may take months to years to resolve without treatment. Hyperpigmentation within the dermis has a blue-gray appearance and may either be permanent or resolve over a protracted period of time if left untreated.

How is epidermal pigmentation determined?

Skin color is mainly determined by a pigment called melanin. Melanin is produced by melanocytes through a process called melanogenesis. The difference in skin color between lightly and darkly pigmented individuals is due to their level of melanocyte activity; it is not due to the number of melanocytes in their skin.

Is your pigmentation epidermal or dermal??

Does the thickness of the epidermis determine skin color?

Thicknesses of the stratum corneum and the cellular part of the epidermis were determined by light microscopic evaluation of skin biopsies from the phototest areas. We found that epidermal thickness was independent of skin type and was not correlated to constitutive skin pigmentation.

How can you tell if hyperpigmentation is permanent?

Hyperpigmentation acne may fade over time, but if the original spots were deep, it may be permanent. Although some topical and surgical therapies can speed up the fading process, it can take several months to years.

What are the 3 types of hyperpigmentation?

Types of hyperpigmentation include age spots, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Each of these has different cause and a range of treatments and products, including creams and cosmetic procedures.

Does vitamin C help with hyperpigmentation?

It helps fade hyperpigmentation

Vitamin C inhibits melanin synthesis by downregulating the activity of an enzyme known as tyrosinase. It's widely used in dermatology for depigmentation of hyperpigmented spots on the skin.

Is hyperpigmentation the same as melasma?

Although it also is a type of condition characterized by darker patches of skin, melasma is differentiated from other forms of hyperpigmentation mainly by its cause; rather than just being sun-related, melasma is caused in part by hormonal changes within the body.

Does hydrocortisone help melasma?

Melasma Cream Ingredients

Hydrocortisone is included as an anti-inflammatory that soothes the skin to prevent irritation while the other ingredients work. When these ingredients are used together they provide a greater improvement in melasma than when used alone.

What melasma looks like?

Melasma patches are brown or grayish-brown. They may form on your upper lip, or on other parts of your face or neck. They're often symmetrical. They may appear under each nostril, or on your entire upper lip, giving it a darkened, mustache-like appearance.

Does dermal hyperpigmentation fade?

Dermal PIH can take years to fade, and spots may be permanent. There is also a chance new spots can show up, or that your PIH will come back again after fading. Treatment for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation often involves more than one method.

Does hyperpigmentation come to the surface?

In dark skin tones, the greater concentration of melanin in the skin means hyperpigmentation is more common and takes longer to fade. Pigment production begins in the deeper layers of the skin and naturally rises to the surface where it concentrates until it is removed via the shedding of dead skin cells.

Why is my hyperpigmentation not going away?

Some cases of hyperpigmentation may never go away completely. If hyperpigmentation is caused by injury, then as the skin heals the discoloration will lessen as melanin is absorbed into the tissue surrounding the injury.

What is the best thing for hyperpigmentation?

8 Treatment Options for Hyperpigmentation
  • Lightening creams.
  • Face acids.
  • Retinoids.
  • Chemical peel.
  • Laser peel.
  • IPL therapy.
  • Microdermabrasion.
  • Dermabrasion.

What causes hyperpigmentation on inner thigh?

Hormonal imbalance, dry skin or moist skin, certain medicines, friction, and diabetes mellitus are some reasons that can cause discoloration and darkened skin on the inner thighs. Most people facing this issue are majorly concerned about how to lighten the darkened skin and get an even skin tone.

What is epidermal pigmentation?

Epidermal pigmentation is pigment that sits very close to the surface of the skin and is mostly caused by environmental factors such as UV exposure and can also be genetics. Freckles, age and sunspots are all forms of epidermal pigmentation and are usually the easiest type of pigment to treat.

What can dermatologist do for hyperpigmentation?

Dermatologists consider prescription-strength hydroquinone, alone or combined with other lighteners, to be the gold standard for fading dark spots because it slows the production of pigment. “It's our go-to,” says Dr.

Does Retinol fade dark spots?

Retinol can be effective in lightening the skin and reducing the appearance of dark spots. It does so by promoting skin shedding, which improves cell turnover rate and hinders the activity of the enzyme tyrosinase, which encourages the production of melanin.

What layer of epidermis is melanin found?

Melanin is produced in melanocytes—the cells, which at normal conditions are localized in the basal layer of the epidermis.

How thick is the epidermis on the face?

Thickness of the facial skin ranges between 1.5 mm and 2 mm, depending on the different sites of the body.

Which two skin pigments are found in the epidermis?

The two pigments in the epidermis are carotene( an orange-yellow pigment) and melanin ( a brown, yellow-brown, or black pigment).

How thick is the epidermis and dermis?

The dermis is a tough but elastic support structure that houses nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, and cutaneous appendages (pilosebaceous units, eccrine and apocrine sweat glands). It is thicker (averages 1 to 4 mm) than the epidermis which is about as thin as piece of paper.

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