Skin Pigmentation Disorders Health Video

Skin pigmentation disorders should be discussed with your dermatologist. Learn about skin pigmentation disorders from a doctor in this video on skin care.

Take Action

Use sunscreen
Try a fade cream
Consult your dermatologist

About this Author

Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, the author of the book Six Weeks to Sensational Skin, is a board certified dermatologist who has made numerous appearances on television shows such as Good Morning America. She holds a degree from Hunter College in New York, an M.D. from Downstate University at SUNY, and did her residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ciraldo has been a board-certified dermatologist since 1982, and is currently a voluntary professor at the University of Miami, where she runs a clinic in cosmetic dermatology.

DR. LORETTA CIRALDO: Hi, I'm Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, author of "6 Weeks to Sensational Skin" and professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Now, the idea of having pigment on our skin, to me, is kind of one of the things that most of us really, really want to avoid more often than honestly even just getting little wrinkles and lines on our skin. As I say in my book, I don't mind having a few expression lines, but gee whiz I've never met an age spot that I like. So what can we do to try to counteract skin pigmentation or abnormal pigmentation? Well, first thing as you might have guessed is, as a dermatologist, I want you to be sure to incorporate sunscreen into your daily regimen, and the thing in that sunscreen that's very interesting is that high SPF sunscreens are not actually always the best choices to protect us against the pigment-producing rays of the sun, which are called the UVA rays. And in fact, interestingly enough, UVA which causes more of the abnormal pigment is not reflected in the SPF number. So you can have a sunscreen that's SPF 70, that isn't a very good UVA or pigment protector; and for this, to get the best kind of pigment protection from your sunscreen, I advise you to either think about reading "6 Weeks to Sensational Skin" or oftentimes a lot easier, ask your dermatologist for recommendations for good ultraviolet ray sunscreen and the dermatologist can also guide you in good fade cream selection, and best of luck.