Understanding Pigmentation in Indian Skin

Twisha
Dec 3, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Jan 8

Indian skin carries a gorgeous spectrum of wheat, honey, and deeper brown tones. However, the same melanin that gives this richness also makes dark spots and uneven patches more visible when skin is stressed. In India’s intense sun and humid climate, pigmentation has become one of the most common concerns women share with dermatologists and Ayurvedic doctors alike.

What is Pigmentation?

Pigmentation refers to the color of the skin, primarily governed by melanin. Melanin is a pigment produced by specialized cells called melanocytes. When certain areas start producing more melanin than the surrounding skin, dark patches, spots, or a general “dull, tanned” look can appear. This condition is known as hyperpigmentation.

Most Indian skin falls between Fitzpatrick phototypes III to V. This means it tans quickly, burns less, and carries a higher baseline melanin load. While this provides natural UV protection, it also means that any inflammation, hormonal change, or sun exposure can leave behind long-lasting marks that are harder to fade compared to very light skin.

An Ayurvedic Perspective on Pigmentation

Ayurveda describes the radiance and color of skin through the functions of Bhrajaka Pitta. This is a sub-dosha of Pitta that “digests” whatever is applied to the skin and governs complexion. When Pitta becomes aggravated, and when Rakta Dhatu (the blood tissue) is vitiated, it can manifest as dark patches, uneven tone, and a loss of natural glow.

Classical texts compare melasma-like facial patches to Vyanga, a Kshudra Roga characterized by painless, bluish-brown spots on the face. This condition is often linked to Vata-Pitta imbalance and mental stress, such as anger or grief.

The Epigenetic Story Behind Dark Spots

Modern research adds another layer: epigenetics. This refers to how lifestyle and environment can switch genes on or off without changing the DNA itself. Ultraviolet and visible light, pollution, and chronic inflammation can all trigger epigenetic changes in skin cells. These changes can upregulate pigment-producing pathways and accelerate photoaging.

Studies show that UV radiation can alter histone markers and DNA methylation in keratinocytes. This shift affects how melanocytes behave and ultimately increases melanin production and pigment spots. This beautifully mirrors Ayurveda’s observation that repeated “heat and irritation” at the skin and blood level leaves behind stubborn discoloration that does not fade easily.

Major Types of Pigmentation in Indian Skin

On Indian skin, most everyday pigmentation falls into a few broad clinical patterns. Several of these can coexist in the same person.

Melasma

Melasma appears as symmetrical brown or grey-brown patches on the cheeks, forehead, nose, or upper lip. It is very common in women of childbearing age with medium to dark skin. Hormones, UV and visible light, heat, and sometimes genetics strongly influence melasma. This is why it often worsens in sunny climates like India.

Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH)

PIH is the flat brown spot left behind after acne, eczema, insect bites, waxing burns, or harsh DIY treatments. Indian skin mounts a brisk pigment response to inflammation, so these marks can linger for months or even years, especially if the original trigger continues.

Tanning and Sun Spots

This condition appears as overall darkening, mottled tan, or discrete “sun freckles” (solar lentigines) on chronically exposed areas such as the face, neck, arms, and hands. In a country with a high UV index almost year-round, even daily commuting and indoor light through windows can drive ongoing pigment production in Indian skin.

Periorbital and Facial Melanosis

Many Indians experience darkening around the eyes or a diffuse, ill-defined brownness on the face, also called facial melanosis. This often has multiple causes: genetics, friction from rubbing, allergies, screen fatigue, vascular congestion, and melanin itself.

Why Indian Skin Marks So Easily

Several everyday realities make Indian skin particularly vulnerable to hyperpigmentation:

High UV and visible light exposure due to climate and outdoor routines, often without adequate sun protection.
High prevalence of acne and the cultural habit of picking, squeezing, or scrubbing, which fuels PIH.
Hormonal factors, including an earlier age of childbearing and increasing endocrine disturbances like PCOS and thyroid issues, which are closely linked with melasma.
Salon and home procedures such as frequent threading, waxing, bleaching, and strong peels can burn the skin barrier if done aggressively on brown skin.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, this lifestyle easily aggravates Pitta (heat, intensity) and Vata (stress, irregular routine). Modern epigenetic science would describe the same pattern as chronic environmental stress changing how pigment-related genes are expressed.

Where Ayurveda and Epigenetics Meet

When seen together, Ayurveda and epigenetics tell the same story in two different languages. Ayurveda explains pigmentation as the outcome of aggravated Pitta and disturbed Bhrajaka Pitta acting on the skin and blood. Vata and psychological stress often act as co-factors. Epigenetics shows how light, pollution, diet, and inflammation generate oxidative stress and alter gene expression in melanocytes and keratinocytes. This increases melanin production and weakens repair.

For Indian skin, this means formulating products that respect melanin’s protective role while gently persuading over-active pigment pathways to quiet down. It’s about balance, not aggression.

When a skincare routine or formulation is designed from this Ayurveda-meets-epigenetics lens, like our Radiance Recovery Moisturising Serum, it stops fighting the skin. Instead, it works with its natural intelligence—honoring melanin as a protector while coaching it back into balance for a clearer, more luminous complexion.