The color of skin is determined by a pigment called melanin, which protects the skin from sun damage. If you lack melanin in certain areas, you have hypopigmentation in that area. Even people who are very pale have melanin in their skin. Hypopigmentation that's present from birth can affect just a small area or the entire body, in the case of albinism. Infants with hypopigmentation need medical evaluation, since they may also have other medical problems.
Risk Factors
You can inherit many forms of hypopigmentation present from birth. Albinism is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder, meaning both parents must pass on the gene for a child to have the disease. You can inherit Waardenburg syndrome, an autosomal dominant disease, if only one parent has it. Waardenburg syndrome causes piebaldism, hypopigmentation in the hair and eyes as well as the skin. Tuberous sclerosis occurs as a spontaneous mutation in about 66 percent of people and as an inherited gene in the other 33 percent, the Mayo Clinic states.
Symptoms
Hypopigmented birthmarks can affect just a small area of your skin or can occur as a generalized condition all over your body, including your hair and eyes. Albinism can cause total hypopigmentation or affect just the eyes or patchy spots of skin. Between 80 and 90 percent of people with piebaldism have a white forelock in their hair just above the forehead, the New Zealand Dermatological Society reports. If you have piebaldism, you may also have a hypopigmented spot of skin on the forehead and white areas on the face, particularly the chin, trunk, arms and legs. Patches of light-colored skin also occur in people with tuberous sclerosis, who can also have many small tumors in other areas of the body.
Diagnosis
Most types of hypopigmented birthmarks are easily diagnosed, but you can also have genetic testing done to determine the presence of abnormal genes that can be passed on to offspring. Parents who have one child with hypopigmentation may want to have genetic testing to determine whether they could pass the condition to another child.
Treatments
If you're self-conscious about hypopigmented areas, skin grafting may help. Learning to apply makeup specially designed to cover birthmarks may also help. If you have hypopigmentation of the eyes, seeing an ophthalmologist for specialized care and wearing special glasses to protect from the sun, as well as sunscreen, helps prevent complications.
Concerns
Some types of hypopigmented birthmarks can have serious effects, particularly if they occur in the eyes. Albinism that affects the eye can cause severely decreased vision and increased light sensitivity that makes it hard to go outdoors. People with tuberous sclerosis have noncancerous tumors that can affect any part of the body. These tumors can cause a number of neurological problems, as well as kidney or lung problems. If you have albinism or other types of hypopigmentation, you may also have a higher risk of developing skin cancer, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Protecting the hypopigmented skin from sunburn reduces the risk.
