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From your description, the pigmentation problem that you have seems to be what is known as melasma. This is simply discoloration of the skin, and while it may not look very pretty, you can at least take some comfort in the fact that it has no other symptoms. Melasma usually affects women and is very common among pregnant women (in which case it is usually known as chloasma or "the mask of pregnancy"). It also often affects women who have hormonal problems or are taking contraceptive pills. The exact cause is not known, but it is thought that hormonal disturbances cause melanocytes (specialized skin cells that produce the pigment melanin, which gives skin its color) in certain areas to produce excessive amounts of melanin. Of course the more melanin there is in the skin, the darker the skin looks, and as a result patches of dark skin appear on the body. The skin above the upper lip is a common location for this problem, along with the nose and forehead.
Usually, the only thing that will get rid of these dark patches is stabilization of hormone levels. If you are pregnant, then the patches will quite certainly disappear within a few months after you deliver your baby. If you are using oral contraceptives, then you should try stopping them for a month or two, and see if the pigmentation starts to fade. If you have some other hormonal problems, then you will need to get those addressed first, for which you will need to speak to your doctor. Your doctor will also be able to prescribe some topical treatments to make the dark patches fade faster. If you want, you can try an over the counter hydroquinone cream, but it is better to use such treatments only under medical supervision, as they can sometimes irritate the skin and worsen the problem. In the meanwhile, you should also limit your exposure to sunlight, so as to minimize the production of melanin. Whenever you go outdoors during the day time, be sure to wear a hat to shade your face. In addition, you should apply sunscreen on your skin before you go outdoors, paying special attention to the area around your lips. Sunscreens such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are to be preferred, as they physically block and scatter a broad spectrum of rays, while most other chemical sunscreens which only absorb a very narrow spectrum of sunlight.
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