Hyperpigmentation vs. Melasma: Understanding the Difference

Among the many skin concerns plaguing people across the world, hyperpigmentation and melasma are among the most recurring on the list.
Often people mistake one for the other, but they are diverse skin conditions with distinct symptoms, causes, and treatments.
Understanding the difference between melasma and hyperpigmentation is important to curate the right skincare plan.

Keynotes:

• Hyperpigmentation is a common term referring to all kinds of skin discolorations.
• Melasma is a type of hyperpigmentation mainly caused by hormonal changes in your body.
• The appearance and causes of melasma is what differentiates it from other types of hyperpigmentation.

Definition

When certain areas of the skin appear darker than normal, it is called hyperpigmentation.
It is not a specific condition but rather an umbrella term that covers all kinds of skin discolorations occurring due to excessive melanin production.
Melanin is the pigment that gives your skin its color and an increase can cause dark patches to appear on your skin.

Types of Hyperpigmentation

While there are many skin conditions that can be categorized as hyperpigmentation, below are the most common ones:

• Age Spots (Solar Lentigines): Excessive exposure to harmful UV rays is the primary cause for this type of hyperpigmentation. Also called sunspots or liver spots, they are commonly found on sun-exposed areas like hands and face.
• Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation: When any kind of skin injury or inflammation heals, the skin turns darker in shade. This is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, commonly seen with injuries like acne, burns, rashes, or eczema.

Causes of Hyperpigmentation

The primary cause of hyperpigmentation is an increase in melanin production, which can be triggered by a variety of factors, as listed below:

• Too much exposure to the sun is the most common cause of hyperpigmentation.
• Hormonal fluctuations due to pregnancy, birth control pills, or hormonal therapies can also be one of the causes.
• As mentioned above, skin injuries or inflammation also cause hyperpigmentation.
• Medications like antibiotics or chemotherapy drugs can increase skin’s sensitivity to sunlight, triggering melanin production.
• Genetics also play a part in causing hyperpigmentation, making some individuals more likely to acquire this skin condition.

The primary difference between hyperpigmentation and melasma is that melasma is a type of hyperpigmentation. Like every form of hyperpigmentation, the cause behind increased melanin varies.

Melasma is a skin condition where brown or bluish-gray colored patches appear on your skin.
A commonly occurring skin concern, it affects pregnant women more. Hence, it is also known as the ‘mask of pregnancy’.
It is harmless and can lighten or darken as time passes. Summers are particularly bad, as the sun’s rays can cause the patches to darken.

Causes of Melasma

Various factors can lead to melasma, the most common of which are listed below:

• Pregnancy: The reason it is called the ‘mask of pregnancy’ is because the increased estrogen, progesterone, and melanocyte-stimulating hormones lead to darkening of the skin.
• Medications: Birth control pills, certain antibiotics, anti-seizure pills, and even pills for blood pressure can cause melasma.
• Thyroid Disorders: A disease affecting your thyroid gland can lead to melasma as it causes hormonal imbalance in your body.
• Exposure to Sun: While not entirely caused by sun’s UV rays, melasma can worsen with prolonged exposure to sunlight.
• Tanning Beds: Your melasma can worsen with the use of tanning beds as they emit UV radiation.

Who is Prone to Melasma?

While anybody can have melasma, certain individuals showcase a higher tendency to develop this skin condition.

• Women, especially from the ages of 20 to 401, are at a higher risk of developing melasma.
• People with darker skin tones are more likely to develop melasma than people with lighter skin tones.
• Genetics also play a crucial role, as having a family history of melasma makes those individuals more susceptible to melasma.

Appearance

A key differentiator between melasma and other types of hyperpigmentation is their appearance.
Melasma patches are more symmetrical. For example, they would develop evenly across the nose or develop as matching patches across both cheeks.
Other types of hyperpigmentation can appear as isolated or uneven spots. Hence, when comparing melasma vs. dark spots, appearance is key.

Triggers

Another way to distinguish between melasma and hyperpigmentation is to identify the underlying causes.
Unlike other forms of hyperpigmentation, hormonal changes are the key factor leading to melasma.
This makes women more susceptible to melasma because birth control pills, pregnancy, and hormonal therapies increase melanocyte-stimulating hormones.

When it comes to treating melasma and other types of hyperpigmentation a number of topical and chemical treatments have been identified.
In certain cases, such as pregnancy or intake of birth control pills, the marks can naturally fade after pregnancy or once you stop taking the pills. But that is not always the case, which is why these treatments become useful.

Topical Treatments

Topical treatments use skin-lightening agents applied to the skin in the form of creams or gels. The most common ingredients include:

• Thiamidol: Eucerin’s patented ingredient, Thiamidol, has been specially developed to target the root cause of hyperpigmentation. It reduces the appearance of dark spots and acne marks by controlling melanin production in the body. Eucerin’s pigmentation products range, enriched with thiamidol, provides you with radiant, glowing skin.
• Hydroquinone: When applied to the affected areas of the skin, hydroquinone reduces melanocyte count, thus inhibiting melanin production, which causes the spots to fade.
• Combination of Tretinoin and Corticosteroid: Tretinoin, a retinoid, when combined with a mild corticosteroid that reduces inflammation, leads to even-toned skin.
• Combination Cream: Ointments with tretinoin, corticosteroid, and hydroquinone are also available to brighten your skin tone.
• Gentle Medications: Creams or gels with gentle ingredients like kojic acid, vitamin c and azelaic acid among others, are also effective in improving your skin tone.

Chemical Procedures

These are cosmetic treatments that can give you an even-toned complexion but should be done after consultation with a dermatologist.

• Chemical Peel: This procedure uses strong acid concentrations to treat melasma and other types of hyperpigmentation. The top layer of our skin, called the epidermis, is removed using this chemical peel, which helps lighten your skin tone.
• Microneedling: Sterilized needles are used to prick and create small tears in your skin that enhance collagen production. The new collagen produced can help make skin smooth, firm, and even toned.
• Laser Peel: This procedure uses light beams to treat hyperpigmentation. Non-ablative lasers enhance collagen production, while ablative lasers work by peeling off layers of your skin to reveal a brighter complexion.
• Platelet-rich Plasma: A small amount of your blood is taken, and its layers are separated using a machine. The plasma layer is injected back into the affected areas of your skin, which leads to even toned skin.

When comparing melasma vs. hyperpigmentation, while we have established that they are two distinct conditions and melasma is only a type of hyperpigmentation, the methods to prevent them remain the same.

• Sun being the main culprit in aggravating hyperpigmentation, it is important to protect your skin from its harmful UV rays. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and one that is water-resistant.
• Tinted sunscreens can also help protect your skin from the light emitted by LED screens that also worsens melasma and hyperpigmentation.
• Always do a patch test before using any skincare products, and use the ones that are gentle on your skin.

Understanding the difference between melasma and hyperpigmentation is crucial to identifying the right skincare procedures you should follow.
Melasma and other types of pigmentation are harmless and can be treated. For a detailed diagnosis and to devise a proper treatment plan, it is ideal to consult your dermatologist.

Is hyperpigmentation caused by melasma?

Hyperpigmentation is a common term used to describe all kinds of skin discolorations, and melasma is a type of hyperpigmentation. Melasma is mainly caused by hormonal changes in your body.

How do I know if I have hyperpigmentation or melasma?

The appearance of dark patches and the triggers are key to identifying and differentiating between melasma and other types of hyperpigmentation. When the darkened areas of your skin are symmetrical or evenly spaced, it is melasma. Melasma is mainly caused by hormonal changes in your body.

Can melasma be cured permanently?

You can control melasma with the help of topical or chemical treatments. In certain cases, such as melasma caused during pregnancy, the marks may fade away naturally with time.

Is melasma the same as hyperpigmentation?

No, they are not the same. Any kind of skin discoloration is described as hyperpigmentation, and melasma is one type of hyperpigmentation.

What is the root cause of melasma?

Hormonal changes due to pregnancy, use of birth control pills, or hormonal therapies are the root cause of melasma.

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