What is hypopigmentation when tanning?

Author: Jermain Kohler II  |  Last update: Tuesday, October 14, 2025

It gets affected by a number of factors like exposure to the sun for instance. Now as for hypopigmentation, it's a skin condition where melanocytes aren't producing enough melanin which therefore causes the skin to get paler and paler over time.

What triggers hypopigmentation?

Hypopigmentation can result from various causes, including post-inflammatory responses, fungal infections, or genetic conditions like albinism.

Does hypopigmentation from sun go away?

It's important to ensure that such areas of Hypopigmentation are well protected from the sun; lack of melanin makes the skin far more vulnerable to sun damage. These white spots tend to be temporary; eventually the skin will heal and return to its usual color once the body regenerates pigment.

What does hypopigmentation look like?

A person with hypopigmentation may have no color in their skin across their whole body, their skin is lighter than expected, or they have patchy areas of light and darker skin. It happens when there is damage that affects the melanocytes, cells that produce melanin.

Can hypopigmentation tan?

Basically, hypopigmentation is skin that won't tan, or looks lighter than the rest of your normal skin color. As most people like to have tan skin in the summer, when one or more areas doesn't tan it can be very concerning. Children and teens can have a few different skin disorders that prevent tanning.

White Marks On The Skin | Hypopigmentation Causes And Treatment

Can you fix hypopigmentation?

Hypopigmentation may improve or go away on its own. If a skin condition causes hypopigmentation, medications may help restore color to your skin. If you have a genetic condition, hypopigmentation may be permanent. Be sure to use sunscreen on your light patches of skin.

What are the white patches on tanned skin?

White patches on the skin are a sign of the condition known by dermatologists as pityriasis. Specifically, pityriasis versicolor appears more when one is suntanned. However, it is not produced by the sun, but rather by a fungus that lives on healthy skin.

How can you tell the difference between hypopigmentation and depigmentation?

In hypopigmentation, pigment is decreased, whereas in depigmentation, pigment is completely lost, leaving white skin.

How to get melanin back in skin?

Currently, several vitamins and supplements are being investigated for their ability to boost melanin production. However, the best way to support melanin production and good skin health is to eat a healthy diet full of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

Does hypopigmentation from burn go away?

Hypopigmentation is a troublesome often permanent sequelae following burn injury, particularly in dark races. A number of methods have been described to treat this phenomenon ranging from primary closure, split skin and particulate grafting as well as semipermanent and permanent camouflage.

Why is my skin patchy when I tan?

Uneven pigmentation

That extra melanin is what creates a suntan. But sometimes skin doesn't make melanin evenly. As a result, the skin's coloring, called pigmentation, looks patchy. The sun also can cause small blood vessels to stretch, giving skin a blotchy look.

Does vitamin D help with hypopigmentation?

Vitamin D decreases the expression of various cytokines that cause vitiligo. In conclusion, application of vitamin D might help in preventing destruction of melanocytes thus causing vitiligo and other autoimmune disorders.

What is the best scar cream for hypopigmentation?

Using bimatoprost 0.03% solution alone without invasive adjunctive therapies is not only more tolerable from a pain perspective but is also a more cost-effective, one-step option for patients looking to improve scar appearance in hypopigmented scars.

How do you treat hypopigmentation from the sun?

Usually, no treatment is necessary if post-inflammatory hypopigmentation is a temporary problem. Sometimes, creams can boost the healing process. You may even the discoloration out with careful sun exposure. Over time, the lighter spots on your skin should fade away, making them no longer visible.

What vitamin deficiency causes hypopigmentation?

Vitamin deficiencies, especially the ones in vitamins D, B12, and E are amongst the most common causes for having white spots on your skin. Deficiency leads to the change in pigment that makes the skin a lot paler than otherwise with patches of white marks all over the skin.

What is the new treatment for hypopigmentation?

Ruxolitinib (Opzelura): This topical JAK inhibitor is the first FDA-approved treatment for vitiligo. Applied directly to the affected areas, it offers a targeted approach with potentially fewer side effects compared to oral JAK inhibitors.

How to boost melanin to tan?

Currently, no safe or proven method exists to increase melanin – the pigment, or color, in a person's skin, hair, and eyes. A person's genetics determine their natural melanin levels and skin color. In general, people who have darker skin tones have more melanin than those with lighter skin tones.

What are the beginning stages of vitiligo?

Patchy loss of skin color, which usually first appears on the hands, face, and areas around body openings and the genitals. Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard. Loss of color in the tissues that line the inside of the mouth and nose (mucous membranes)

Can sun exposure cause hypopigmentation?

Hypopigmentation becomes more apparent with sun exposure, leading to darkening of the surrounding skin during the spring and summer. Careful examination of the patient is crucial as the scaly lesions may resemble psoriasis or eczema, as skin irritation by various causes may heal with postinflammatory hypopigmentation.

Should I be worried about hypopigmentation?

Hypopigmentation/Hypomelanosis is because of decreased melanin production which can be attributed to various steps involved in melanin synthesis. Most often, the conditions associated with hypomelanosis are benign, rarely associated with systemic diseases (disorders of internal viscera), and malignancy.

Why do I have a white spot on my back after tanning?

Sun exposure and tanning can lead to white sun spots on the skin. The presence of white sun spots on the skin is clinically known as idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis (IGH). IGH is a benign skin condition considered a cosmetic problem. IGH can affect all skin tones.

Why does my skin not tan as well anymore?

Basically, everybody's skin reaches a cut-off point when their skin can't tan anymore. This is due to the fact it's physically unable to produce any more melanin, the pigment that makes our skin turn darker.

What cream is good for white spots on skin?

Treatment options for vitiligo include: low-dose corticosteroid creams, like 1-percent hydrocortisone cream. Elidel cream, a nonsteroidal formula. ultraviolet light treatment in combination with topical medications.

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