Melasma is excessive (hyper) pigmentation that typically looks like irregular pigmented patches on sun-exposed areas of skin, especially the face and neck. There are 2 types of melasma; Epidermal melasma (in the more superficial layers of the skin) tends to be light brown, and a dermatologist shining a Wood Lamp on it sees it light up. Dermal melasma (deeper in the skin) looks more grayish in colour and doesn’t light up under the Wood Lamp. It’s important to know which one you have because dermal melasma often doesn’t respond to topical treatments.

Solar (sometimes called actinic) lentigines happen in sun exposed skin, cropping up later in life, which is why they are sometimes called senile lentigines or age spots. You can get them on any sun exposed skin such as your forearms, face, neck, or the backs of the hands.

Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation appears as irregular, darkly pigmented skin where there has been some previous injury or inflammation, for example acne or nasty eczema, psoriasis, burns or even after laser, light therapy, or cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen).