Hyperpigmentation can be caused by sun damage, inflammation, or other skin injuries, including those related to acne vulgaris. People with darker skin tones are more prone to hyperpigmentation, especially with excess sun exposure.

Many forms of hyperpigmentation are caused by an excess production of melanin. Hyperpigmentation can be diffuse or focal, affecting such areas as the face and the back of the hands. Melanin is produced by melanocytes at the lower layer of the epidermis. Melanin is a class of pigment responsible for producing colour in the body in places such as the eyes, skin, and hair. As the body ages, melanocyte distribution becomes less diffuse and its regulation less controlled by the body. UV light stimulates melanocyte activity, and where concentration of the cells is greater, hyperpigmentation occurs. Another form of hyperpigmentation is post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. These are dark and discoloured spots that appear on the skin following acne that has healed.

Hyperpigmentation is associated with a number of diseases or conditions, including the following:

- Addison's disease and other sources of adrenal insufficiency, in which hormones that stimulate melanin synthesis, such as melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), are frequently elevated.

- Cushing's disease or other excessive adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production, because MSH production is a byproduct of ACTH synthesis from proopiomelanocortin (POMC).

- Acanthosis nigricans—hyperpigmentation of intertriginous areas associated with insulin resistance.

- Melasma, also known as "chloasma"—patchy hyperpigmentation

- Acne scarring from post-inflammatary hyperpigmentation

- Linea nigra—a hyperpigmented line found on the abdomen during pregnancy.

- Peutz-Jeghers syndrome—an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by hyperpigmented macules on the lips and oral mucosa and gastrointestinal polyps.

- Exposure to certain chemicals such as salicylic acid, bleomycin, and cisplatin.

- Smoker's melanosis

- Coeliac disease

- Cronkite-Canada syndrome

- Porphyria

- Tinea fungal infections such as ringworm

- Haemochromatosis—a common but debilitating genetic disorder characterized by the chronic accumulation of iron in the body.

- Mercury poisoning—particularly cases of cutaneous exposure resulting from the topical application of mercurial ointments or skin-whitening creams.

- Aromatase deficiency

- Nelson's syndrome

- Grave's disease

- As a result of tinea cruris.

Hyperpigmentation can sometimes be induced by dermatological laser procedures.

Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of an area of skin or nails caused by increased melanin.

Risk factors for the development of acne, other than genetics, have not been conclusively identified. Possible secondary contributors include hormones, infections, diet and stress. Studies investigating the impact of smoking on the incidence and severity of acne have been inconclusive. Sunlight and cleanliness are not associated with acne.

The predisposition to acne for specific individuals is likely explained by a genetic component, a theory which is supported by studies examining the rates of acne among twins and first-degree relatives. Severe acne may be associated with XYY syndrome. Acne susceptibility is likely due to the influence of multiple genes, as the disease does not follow a classic (Mendelian) inheritance pattern. Multiple gene candidates have been proposed including certain variations in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1 alpha, and CYP1A1 genes, among others. Increased risk is associated with the 308 G/A single nucleotide polymorphism variation in the gene for TNF.

The exact cause of poikiloderma is unknown; however, extended sun exposure, namely the ultraviolet light emitted by the sun, is the primary factor.

This skin disease commonly affects adolescents and young adults, especially in warm and humid climates. The yeast is thought to feed on skin oils (lipids), as well as dead skin cells. Infections are more common in people who have seborrheic dermatitis, dandruff, and hyperhidrosis.

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia has been most often reported in post-menopausal women with higher levels of affluence and a negative smoking history. Autoimmune disease is found in 30% of patients.

Improvement or stabilization of the condition has been reported with topical and intralesional corticosteroids, antibiotics, hydroxychloroquine, topical and oral immunomodulators, tacrolimus, and most recently, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. In one study, the use of anti-androgens (finasteride or dutasteride) was associated with improvement in 47% and stabilization in 53% of patients

A study in Sweden showed that 21.5% of smokers and 3% of nonsmokers (genetic pigmentation or unknown cause) had lesions that could be classified as an oral melanin pigmentation. A gingival melanin index in 4 degrees was established. Already with a consumption of 1-3 cigarettes a day 9.3% of all 20.333 examined showed a smoker's melanosis. Pipe smokers had smoker's melanosis in 16.8%. One year after the start of cigarette smoking a clinically visible smoker's melanosis could be seen in 12.3% of women, and 17% among men.

In cigarette smokers who quit smoking, the number of individuals with smoker's melanosis becomes slowly less frequent after 2–3 months, but can still be seen in a few former smokers three years after smoking stop.

Although clinically visible genetic melanin pigmentations in the mouth are present in several ethnic groups all over the world, more mucosal areas will be melanin-pigmentet if tobacco products are used. Smoker's melanosis is found in India, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Sweden, Turkey, USA, and several other countries.

Smoker's melanosis is expected to be found also in other tissue surfaces exposed to tobacco and tobacco smoke, for instance lips and in skin of the fingers holding the cigarette. Future studies will also show if the use of tobacco exaggerates the pigmentation of skin.

Drug-induced pigmentation of the skin may occur as a consequence of drug administration, and the mechanism may be postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in some cases, but frequently is related to actual deposition of the offending drug in the skin.The incidence of this change varies and depends on the type of medication involved. Some of the most common drugs involved are NSAIDs, Antimalarials, psychotropic drugs, Amiodarone, cytotoxic drugs, tetracyclines and heavy metals such as silver and gold (must be ingested not just worn).

Albeit difficult, treatment of poikiloderma involves the delivery of multiple wavelengths of intense pulsed light (IPL) to the affected area.

Types include:

- Poikiloderma vasculare atrophicans

- Poikiloderma of Civatte

- Hereditary sclerosing poikiloderma

Drug induced pigmentation may take on many different appearances, one of the most common being a change in the color, or pigmentation, of the skin.

PVA usually has an underlying cause, attributed to existing skin diseases and disorders associated with a cutaneous lymphoma or inflammation. Mycosis fungoides is the common lymphoma believed to cause PVA, although it may be considered a precursor when the lymphoma is (hidden) and undiagnosed. Large plaque parapsoriasis is another common causes of PVA. Less common causes include autoimmune-related connective tissue diseases such as lupus, dermatomyositis and scleroderma. Dermatoses and those that are genetically inspired, called genodermatoses, may also be an underlying cause of PVA. Among them, xeroderma pigmentosum and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (poikiloderma congenita) are thought to be the most prominent. Ingestion of substances containing arsenic, such as arsphenamine, has also been suggested as a least common cause. PVA can also be idiopathic (of unknown cause), as seen in a small number of cases.

Many other conditions can lead to localized scaling or hyperpigmentation.

This condition should firmly be distinguished from dermatitis artefacta, which is the "factitious" creation of a skin lesion, whereas dermatosis neglecta results from unconscious avoidance of cleaning due to pain or immobility.

Other skin conditions which should not be mistaken for dermatosis neglecta include: terra firma-forme dermatosis (in which there is no history of inadequate cleaning); confluent and reticulated papillomatosis of Gougerot and Carteaud; several forms of ichthyosis; acanthosis nigricans; and Vagabond's disease.

In cases of tinea versicolor caused by the fungus "Malassezia furfur", lightening of the skin occurs due to the fungus's production of azelaic acid, which has a slight bleaching effect.

Dermatosis neglecta is a skin condition in which accumulation of sebum, keratin, sweat, dirt and debris leads to a localized patch of skin discoloration or a wart-like plaque. It is caused by inadequate hygiene of a certain body part, usually due to some form of disability or a condition that is associated with pain or increased sensitivity to touch (hyperesthesia) or immobility.

Dermatosis neglecta typically develops several months after a disability or other affliction leads to improper cleaning. Patients may deny that negligence is the cause of the lesion, even though it completely resolves on vigorous rubbing with alcohol swabs or water and soap (which provides both diagnosis and treatment). Recognizing the diagnosis avoids unnecessary skin biopsies.

Examples of case reports from the literature include a man who avoided washing the skin area surrounding an artificial pacemaker out of fear it might be damaged; a woman who didn't clean the right side of her chest due to hyperesthesia following an amputation for breast cancer (mastectomy); a girl who was afraid to wash the area around an abdominal scar; and a man with multiple fractures, shoulder dislocation and radial nerve palsy which significantly reduced his mobility.

Fiddler’s neck does not usually form unless the musician is practicing or playing for more than a few hours each day, and only seems to develop after a few years of serious playing. Thus, when not infected or otherwise problematic, fiddler’s neck may be known as a benign practice mark and may be worn proudly as an indication of long hours of practice. Blum & Ritter (1990) found that 62% of 523 professional violinists and violists in West Germany experienced fiddler’s neck, with the percentage among violists being higher (67%) than among violinists (59%). Viola players are believed to be more predisposed to developing fiddler’s neck than violinists because the viola is larger and heavier, but this has not been empirically confirmed.

The development of fiddler’s neck does not depend on preexisting skin problems, and Blum & Ritter find that only 23% of men and 14% of women in their study reported cutaneous disorders in other parts of the face (mainly acne and eczema) that were independent of playing the violin or viola. Fiddler’s neck may exacerbate existing acne, but acne may also be limited solely to the lesion and not appear elsewhere. Nonetheless, musicians with underlying dermatologic diseases like acne and eczema are more endangered by fiddler’s neck than others. Males may develop folliculitis or boils due to involvement of beard hair.

A 1991 report documented the cases of nine patients with both Becker's nevus and malignant melanoma. Of the nine melanomas, five were in the same body area as the Becker's nevus, with only one occurring within the nevus itself. As this was apparently the first documented co-occurrence of the two diseases, there is so far no evidence of higher malignancy rates in Becker's nevi versus normal skin. Nonetheless, as with any abnormal skin growth, the nevus should be monitored regularly and any sudden changes in appearance brought to the attention of one's doctor.

Exogenous ochronosis can be caused from long-term usage of certain "skin lightening" products, even if the hydroquinone is in amounts as small as 2%.

Skin lightening products are still prevalent in many parts of the world. This may be due to aesthetic or social standing reasons, in areas where a lighter skin tone is considered to be a sign of wealth or beauty.

As well, skin-lightening creams containing compounds such as hydroquinone are commonly used to help with hyperpigmentation disorders such as melasma.

Hydroquinone is the compound most frequently used in skin whitening products. Due to concerns about its side effects, it was almost banned by the FDA in 2006, as there were medical issues of carcinogenicity and reports of disfiguring ochronosis. In the European Union hydroquinone has been banned in cosmetic creams since 2000.

Long-term use of creams containing this compound may lead to exogenous ochronotic lesions. The duration of the use is directly proportional to the risk of developing the condition with most cases being after years of use.

Around 10–15 million skin lightening products are sold annually, with Japan being the major buyer.

The lack of nutrients in the diet, or the lack of a balanced diet, can contribute to the discoloration of the area under the eyes. It is believed that iron deficiency can cause dark circles as well. Iron deficiency is the most common type of anemia and this condition is a sign that not enough oxygen is getting to the body tissues.

The skin can also become more pale during pregnancy and menstruation (due to lack of iron), allowing the underlying veins under the eyes to become more visible.

Dyschromia refers to an alteration of the color of the skin or nails.

"Hyperchromia" can refer to hyperpigmentation, and "hypochromia" can refer to hypopigmentation.

"Dyschromatoses" involve both hyperpigmented and hypopigmented macules.

Pimple-popping, or Zit-popping, is the act of bursting or popping pimples with one's finger. Pimple-popping can lead to the introduction of bacteria into the pimple, infection, the creation of more pimples, and permanent scarring. Thus, popping is usually deprecated by dermatologists and estheticians and it is recommended to let the pimples run through their life span.

Smoking or the use of nicotine-containing drugs is the cause to Smoker's melanosis. Also tar-components (benzopyrenes) are known to stimulate melanocytes to melanin production, and other unknown toxic agents in tobacco may also be the cause. These chemical agents have a polycyclic, chain-like structure. Environmental tobacco smoke from parents is causing smoker's melanosis in their children Swedish snuff causes a small elevation of oral melanin pigmented individuals from 3.0% to 4.7%. Nicotine tablets have shown to stimulate to melanin pigmentation of the oral mucosa.

Medical knowledge and documentation of this disorder is poor, likely due to a combination of factors including recent discovery, low prevalence, and the more or less aesthetic nature of the effects of the skin disorder. Thus the pathophysiology of Becker's nevus remains unclear. While it is generally considered an acquired rather than congenital disorder, there exists at least one case report documenting what researchers claim is a congenital Becker's nevus with genetic association: a 16-month-old boy with a hyperpigmented lesion on his right shoulder whose father has a similar lesion on his right shoulder.

The most extensive study to date, a 1981 survey of nearly 20,000 French males aged 17 to 26, served to disprove many commonly held beliefs about the disorder. In the French study, 100 subjects were found to have Becker's nevi, revealing a prevalence of 0.52%. Nevi appeared in one half the subjects before the age of 10, and between ages 10 and 20 in the rest. In one quarter of cases sun exposure seems to have played a role, a number apparently lower than that expected by researchers. Also surprising to researchers was the low incidence (32%) of Becker's nevi above the nipples, for it had generally been believed that the upper chest and shoulder area was the predominant site of occurrence. Pigmentation was light brown in 75% of cases (note: subjects were Caucasian), and average size of the nevus was 125 cm² (19 in²).

In 2016, interferon gamma/CXCL10 axis was hypothesized to be a target for treatments that reverse inflammation. Apremilast is undergoing investigation as a potential treatment .