Why does the skin become darker?

Skin color is generally closely related to genetic factors. If the parents have fair skin, the baby born will also have fair skin. However, some people show the opposite phenomenon. For example, the skin becomes particularly dark for no reason and is not easy to recover. This is caused by various factors, and people need to understand it. Let’s take a look at why the skin becomes darker.

1. The foods you like are rich in zinc, copper and iron. Certain foods are also the cause of darkening of the skin. Foods rich in metal elements such as copper, iron, and zinc have this disadvantage. These metal elements can directly or indirectly increase the amount and activity of substances such as tyrosine and tyrosinase that are related to melanin production. These foods mainly include animal liver, kidney, oysters, shrimp, crab, beans, walnuts, black sesame, raisins, etc.

2. The drug has affinity to melanin. Many drugs also change the normal skin color. For example, chloroquine has a strong affinity for melanin, which aggravates skin discoloration; about 10% of patients taking quinine develop blue pigment spots on their faces. Sedatives pose the greatest threat to skin color. Those who take them for a long time will develop butterfly spots on their face and neck, and their arms and other parts will turn brown-gray, light blue or light purple. In addition, repeated use of mercury-containing ointments can also leave brown pigmentation on the affected area. There are more anticancer drugs that cause skin color changes.

3. The natural environment damages the skin. The culprit is ultraviolet rays, which stimulate the melanin in the skin and induce skin lesions such as freckles. Even on cloudy days, the "ultraviolet rays" are still strong. Ultraviolet rays can cause skin darkening, aging, and wrinkles. Human skin's response to ultraviolet rays causes redness, tanning and increased thickness of the skin's epidermis in acute reactions, and leads to skin aging in chronic reactions. In the summer, if you still want to have fair and flawless skin, you should do a good job of sun protection, especially when the UV index reaches 7 or above, it is more likely to damage the skin. You should strengthen sun protection and don't be afraid of trouble and cause regret in the future. In fact, humid air, sunlight coming through car windows, and even indoor light bulbs and computers are all the culprits that cause your skin to become darker.

4. Certain diseases are triggering factors. Many diseases can change the normal skin color and make it darker. The most common ones include endocrine system diseases, chronic wasting diseases, malnutrition diseases, etc. These diseases can cause the skin to turn brown or dark brown, which is particularly obvious in exposed areas such as the face, back of the hands, joints, or areas that are under pressure and friction.