Dark Spot from a Burn: What Should You Know?

Burn inflammation can stimulate pigment-producing cells, leaving brown or grey colour after the surface has closed. The mark may be darker in deeper skin tones and can persist after tenderness has gone. A healing burn may also be pink, tight, shiny, scaly, or sensitive rather than simply pigmented. Ongoing blistering, an open area, discharge, or increasing pain suggests active injury or infection, not a settled dark spot. See [Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation](/conditions/post-inflammatory-hyperpigmentation/) for related information.

Follow burn-care instructions, keep the area clean, and use the recommended dressing or moisturiser once the surface is closed. Protect it from sunlight with clothing or sunscreen appropriate for healed skin. Avoid peeling flakes, scrubbing, home remedies, and strong lightening products while the skin is fragile. After healing, a dermatologist may consider a tailored [Skin Brightening Treatment](/treatments/aesthetic-procedures/skin-brightening-treatment/), [Chemical Peel](/treatments/aesthetic-procedures/chemical-peel/), or [Picosecond Laser Treatment](/treatments/laser-and-energy/picosecond-laser-treatment/).

Get medical care promptly if the burn is still open, blistering extensively, increasingly painful, warm, swollen, draining, or surrounded by spreading redness. Arrange review if the scar becomes raised, tight, or limits movement. Once healed, ask for assessment if pigment changes quickly, develops an unusual border, or does not fit the burn history.

Has the burn healed enough for pigment treatment? Is this colour change separate from a scar? Which sun protection and moisturiser should I use? Could treatment worsen pigment in my skin tone?