Dark facial blemishes can occur after an injury or as a part of aging. While a dark spot isn't usually a sign of a serious health problem, in some cases, a spot can be a sign of skin cancer. Special creams and other treatments can lighten your dark spots and make them less noticeable.
Identification
Hyperpigmentation causes dark spots. The condition occurs when melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its color, clumps in certain spots on the skin. Sun exposure can worsen hyperpigmentation and make dark spots even darker.
Types of Hyperpigmentation
Age spots are the most common form of hyperpigmentation. Age spots are a sign of skin damage that occurs due to years of unprotected exposure to the sun. Dark spots can form at the sight of a previous injury or inflammation, such as lupus or acne. Hormonal changes due to pregnancy, hormone-replacement treatment or birth control pill use can cause melasma, a condition that causes dark patches on the face and abdomen. Ten percent of melasma cases, however, occur in non-pregnant women and dark-skinned men, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. Hyperpigmentation can also occur if you take medications that make you more sensitive to the effects of the sun or you have certain thyroid disorders.
Skin Color Significance
The color of your skin can have an effect on the type of dark blemishes or spots you develop. People with fair skin are more likely to develop age spots. Changes in pigmentation can occur without warning and can be difficult to treat if you have dark skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. When people who have dark skin develop melasma, the condition may last longer than it usually does in lighter-skinned people. Dark-skinned people may also develop lichen planus, an inflammatory disease that causes a rash. When the rash heals, you may be left with dark spots on your skin. Ashy dermatosis, a condition that causes gray-brown rash, can also cause dark blemishes.
Treatment
Over-the-counter and prescription creams that contain hydroquinone lighten dark spots. Although prescription bleaching creams are stronger than over-the-counter versions, you must use both types for several weeks or months before you notice a difference. Doctors also use laser therapy, chemical peels and microdermabrasion to treat dark spots. These procedures remove the top layers of the skin, which can result in a lessening appearance of dark spots.
Warning
Although dark spots are usually just a cosmetic concern, in some cases the sudden appearance of a spot may be a sign of melanoma, a type of skin cancer. A melanoma may look like a black or brown mole. The spot may not be perfectly round and may contain more than one color. Melanoma often affect people who had severe childhood sunburns, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. If you notice a suspicious dark spot on your skin, see your doctor as soon as possible.
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