Hyperpigmentation is a common, usually harmless condition in which patches of skin become darker in color than the normal surrounding skin, which occurs when an excess of melanin forms deposits in the skin.

A common form of hyperpigmentation is age (liver) spots. Sun damage is the leading cause of age spots, which are referred to by doctors as solar lentigines.

Melasma or chloasma spots are similar in appearance to age spots but are larger are as of darkened skin that are most often triggered by hormonal changes.

Other causes of hyperpigmentation include heredity, acne, and botched skin treatments.

When acne, a botched skin treatment, or some other cause of inflammation cause the hyperpigmentation, it is known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.