Hypopigmentation

Injuries to your skin are the most common cause of hypopigmentation, including:

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As these injuries heal, scars may develop that are lighter than your surrounding skin.

Rare genetic conditions may cause hypopigmentation over wide areas of your skin. Some of these genetic conditions include:

Albinism. Albinism is a genetic disorder in which you’re born with low amounts of melanin. Most people with albinism have very pale skin all over their body, pale eyes and light or white hair.
Pityriasis alba. Pityriasis alba is a condition that causes scaly patches on your skin. When the scales go away, hypopigmentation appears in your affected areas.
Vitiligo. Vitiligo is a skin disorder that causes areas of your skin to turn white. It occurs when your body’s immune system destroys your melanocytes. Melanocytes are the skin cells that produce melanin.

Other hypopigmentation causes include:

Tinea versicolor. Tinea versicolor is a fungal infection caused by an overgrowth of yeast on your skin.
Lichen sclerosus. Lichen sclerosus is a disorder that affects the skin on your genitals or anus.
Psoriasis. Psoriasis is a long-lasting (chronic) disorder that causes thick, scaly patches (plaques) on your skin. Hypopigmentation may appear once your plaques go away.
Eczema. Eczema is a condition that causes your skin to become dry, discolored, itchy and bumpy. After treatment, your affected areas may have hypopigmentation.

Some skin treatments may also cause hypopigmentation, including:

Laser skin resurfacing. During this procedure, your healthcare provider uses lasers to remove skin irregularities from the top layers of your skin. Skin irregularities may include sun damage, wrinkles, acne scars and age spots. Laser skin resurfacing stimulates the growth of new collagen fibers, which results in new, smoother skin. Hypopigmentation may result in your treated areas.
Laser hair removal. Laser hair removal uses heat from a laser to destroy your hair follicles. The heat may damage your surrounding skin and cause hypopigmentation.
Dermabrasion. During this procedure, a dermatologist or plastic surgeon scrapes away irregularities in the top layers of your skin. If you have skin of color, you’re more likely to have hypopigmentation after dermabrasion.
Chemical peels. Chemical peels improve irregularities in your skin. A chemical solution causes the top layers of your skin to peel off, resulting in smoother, brighter skin. If you have skin of color, you have a greater risk of experiencing hypopigmentation after treatment that targets deeper layers of your skin (post-inflammatory hypopigmentation).