Fight or flight, I get it. But what do you do when your largest organ decides to go Picasso on you? I'll tell you what you do-you deal with it. I'm talking about hyperpigmentation: the chronicles of the rebel melanocytes - your very own skin cells - that decide to pull an all-nighter and put on a show, forming spots or patches darker than the solace of your favorite dive bar.

You have the sun, hormonal hijinks, skin trauma, or that questionable medication to blame for the midnight revelry of melanin (pigment) production that punctuates your skin with darker spots. Hyperpigmentation: like a bothersome guest at your party who overindulges, might clean up their act and leave (fade over time), or get too comfortable and stick around for months or years.

It's harmless, but the vanity in us finds it bothersome. It's kind of like you spot an obscure, hipster band t-shirt in the mirror and it makes you unexplainably anxious. You see, when the melanocytes get inspired to create more art-think freckle-like spots or blotchy, flat patches of darkness (only on the face), we call this melodrama - Melasma. Then, there is the sun-baked artistry of solar lentigines (sun spots or age spots), and the impassioned creations borne out of skin injury or inflammation, we call post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).

Like hard-to-get artists, these glorious melanocytes just prefer sun-kissed areas to make their bold statements. And boy, don’t they love the friction - like skin rubbing on skin or clothing-think inner thighs, underarms, feet, and knees.

Whilst it might take the time of a Martin Scorsese epic to clear sometimes, few home remedies are just applause-worthy. You can try at-home treatments or wear it like body art, blame your genes, scream into your pillow, and call it a night. But if the arranged mésalliances of hyperpigmentation are triggering your insecurities, it's worthwhile to take it to the professionals - a dermatologist.

The laser-wielding, microneedling champions can help you take control of your skin tone from the overly excited melanocytes running amok. If you feel hyperpigmented areas are mocking your despair, who are we to stop you from looking for remedies to regain your confidence again?

So, here's the deal: for some, hyperpigmentation is an unwelcome skin noisemaker, a blatant dissonance. For others, it's a testament to a life lived in the deep end. You have the right to treat it or embrace it. It's your skin, your tale, your masterpiece.