At what age do women start to develop spots?

As our bodies mature, our organs and skin begin to enter a stage of decline. For women, the first sign of aging often appears on the skin. Generally speaking, women's skin enters a phase of aging around their 20s. The loss of collagen leads to various skin issues such as discoloration, wrinkles, and dryness. Improper care can further accelerate these problems. Do you know at what age women start to develop skin discoloration? Skin discoloration refers to spots that differ in color from the surrounding skin, including freckles, dark spots, melasma, and age spots, which are pigmentary skin diseases. These are common facial skin conditions characterized by brown or melanin-pigmented lesions that can be disfiguring. They often occur on the cheeks and forehead, worsen after sun exposure, and are more common in women, often related to pregnancy and long-term menstrual disorders. The formation of skin discoloration is caused by an increase in melanin due to obstructed microcirculation between tissue cells, leading to cell death and the deposition of melanin. The epidermal layer of the face is the thinnest, with the most abundant capillaries, and is thus most susceptible to pigmentation. Pigmentation mainly occurs in the basal layer of the epidermis, where melanin granules increase significantly. In severe cases, there may also be increased melanin in the melanocytes of the dermis. Compared to normal conditions, there are differences in the number of pigment cells, melanin formation, and the activity of melanin granules. (1) An imbalance of yin and yang in the human body can lead to blood stasis on the face due to liver qi stagnation, or a failure of the spleen and stomach to nourish the face with qi and blood, resulting in the formation of spots due to the rise of damp-heat to the face. Additionally, insufficient kidney yang can lead to the dispersal of yang qi and the formation of melasma due to blood stasis on the face. (2) During pregnancy, the placenta secretes increased amounts of androgenic hormones, leading to the common appearance of symmetrically distributed melasma on the cheeks of pregnant women. However, after childbirth, when androgenic hormone secretion returns to normal, the melasma often naturally improves or disappears for most individuals. (3) Drug factors can also contribute to the development of melasma. For instance, 9% to 20% of women who take oral contraceptives long-term are prone to developing melasma. Some may even develop facial spots within a month of starting contraceptive medication. Additionally, medications for hypertension and diabetes, as well as the consumption of foods with strong photosensitivity, such as celery, coriander, and carrots, can also increase the risk of developing melasma.