Skin Pigmentation Disorder
Skin Pigmentation Disorder - Related Videos
01:23
Skin Diseases and Disorders
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2023
Skin is the first line of defense and encounters a variety of microbes. Some pathogenic strains are often the cause of a broad range of infections of the skin and other body systems. These conditions can affect people of all ages and may have different causes, including genetic factors, infections, autoimmune reactions, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices. Gram-positive Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. are responsible for many of the most common skin infections. However, many...
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A Method for Extracting Pigments from Squid Doryteuthis pealeii
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A protocol for the extraction of pigments from the nanostructured granules in squid Doryteuthis pealeii chromatophores is presented.
08:41
Quantifying Abdominal Pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster
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This work presents a method to quickly and precisely quantify the abdominal pigmentation of Drosophila melanogaster using digital image analysis. This method streamlines the procedures between phenotype acquisition and data analysis and includes specimen mounting, image acquisition, pixel value extraction, and trait measurement.
01:19
Pigmentation
0 Views •
2023
The color of the skin is influenced by a number of pigments, including melanin, carotene, and hemoglobin. Recall that melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes, which are found scattered throughout the stratum basale of the epidermis. The melanin is transferred to the keratinocytes via melanosomes. Melanin occurs in two primary forms: eumelanin that provides black and brown pigment and pheomelanin that provides red color. Dark-skinned individuals produce more melanin than those with pale...
16:47
Dissection of a Mouse Eye for a Whole Mount of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium
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2011
A formal demonstration of the dissection of a mouse eye, resulting in a whole mount of the retinal pigment epithelium.
FAQs
Changes can occur at several points in pigment handling: melanocytes may produce abnormal amounts of melanin, melanosomes may function abnormally, or pigment may become unevenly distributed or cleared differently. This explains why visible changes can involve not only the skin but also hair or mucous membranes, and why similar color changes may arise through different biological mechanisms.
Hypopigmentation reflects reduced pigment, whereas hyperpigmentation reflects increased or unevenly distributed pigment. The distinction helps organize the clinical assessment, but color alone does not establish the cause. Inflammation, genetic changes, medications, and other diseases can produce pigmentation changes, so clinicians also consider the pattern, timing, distribution, and associated symptoms.
These contributors can affect melanocyte activity, melanosome behavior, or the distribution and clearance of melanin in different ways. As a result, one person may develop reduced pigment while another develops excess or irregular pigment. Considering the possible contributor alongside the visible pattern helps clinicians avoid treating every pigmentation change as the same disorder.
Evaluation begins with the pattern, onset, and distribution of the color change, followed by attention to associated symptoms. Clinicians use this information to distinguish conditions such as vitiligo, melasma, and post-inflammatory pigmentation, while also considering whether another disease may be involved. This structured assessment supports a more accurate diagnosis than appearance alone.
Concern increases when the pigmentation pattern or associated symptoms suggest that the change may reflect more than a localized skin process. The overview emphasizes considering other diseases during evaluation rather than assuming every case is isolated. Identifying a possible systemic connection matters because the diagnosis can influence monitoring and the broader medical assessment.
Accurate diagnosis helps clinicians select an appropriate treatment approach and determine what should be monitored over time. Follow-up can assess whether pigmentation is changing and whether the clinical interpretation remains consistent. Management also recognizes effects on skin health, appearance, and quality of life, making patient concerns relevant alongside the visible pigment abnormality.