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Hyperpigmentation Treatments: A Science Backed Approach
Hyperpigmentation happens whenever a patch of your skin becomes darker than the skin that is surrounding it.
Resource by: PROVEN Team
The Best Hyperpigmentation Treatments for Darker Skin Tones
Hyperpigmentation happens whenever a patch of your skin becomes darker than the skin that is surrounding it. Also known as “dark spots”, this discoloration is the result of accumulation of excess melanin, the naturally occurring pigment in the body that gives eyes, hair, and skin their various colors. Although hyperpigmentation may occur in people of all skin tones, it tends to be much more frequent in occurrence in people with darker skin tones, the reason being that darker skin will contain a higher amount of melanin (more color) in the skin cells along with a tendency to over produce additional melanin in response to external factors.
While hyperpigmentation is treatable, people with darker skin should take extra caution in order to safely and effectively treat dark spots.
What Causes Hyperpigmentation?
Dark spots, or hyperpigmentation, will occur whenever your skin overproduces melanin. While this is a more common issue for darker skin tones, it’s possible for all skin tones and is based on several factors.
Some of the most common causes of dark spots forming include:
This type of “skin trauma” is an injury or inflammation of the skin, often resulting from several illnesses, disorders, or hormonal issues. For example, post inflammatory hyperpigmentation is often caused by acne, eczema, psoriasis, or contact dermatitis. Each of these will contribute to higher levels of melanin in the area, creating pink, red, or dark brown spots to develop. Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation may affect people with any skin tone, but tends to affect those with darker skin tones the most.
Sunspots, which are typically small and flat, can range in color from light to dark brown. They tend to develop on parts of the skin that are most exposed to sunlight, hence the name. The face, chest, neck, and hands are the most commonly affected areas because the exposure to sunlight will stimulate the production of melanin. Sunspots, as with other areas affected by hyperpigmentation, tned to get darker with additional sun exposure.
This type of skin discoloration is the result of changes in hormone levels that are often associated with pregnancy or the use of birth control medication. Melasma will typically develop on larger areas of the face such as the cheeks, sides of the face, forehead, and above the lips.
How To Prevent Hyperpigmentation
It may not be possible to prevent all cases of dark spots forming on your skin, especially those that occur as a result of age or hormone changes, but you can reduce the risks of getting them by:
- Wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every day
- Reapplying sunscreen every two hours, more frequently if swimming or sweating
- Avoid direct sunlight between 10 AM and 4 PM
- Moisturize your skin daily
- Avoid using harsh exfoliating products
- Treat acne, psoriasis, and other conditions immediately
Treatments For Hyperpigmentation
In most cases, using the ingredients listed below will be very effective in treating hyperpigmentation. Just like any effective skincare routine, it will take time to produce results. If you have just started a treatment, be patient and let the results come with time.
However, if you have tried these treatments and still haven’t gotten the desired results, or are in a hurry to get rid of them quickly, there are a few other treatments available.
This procedure will involve removing the upper most superficial layer of your skin. However, it will not remove the pigment that lies deeper in the dermis and epidermis, so it typically will not affect dark spots in a significant way.
These peels will use ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and low percentages of trichloroacetic acid in order to help remove dark pigments located below the surface of your skin. The milder and more superficial peels will have some effect on melasma and sun induced dark spots. Trichloroacetic peels, which are much more aggressive, are not typically recommended for people with darker skin due to an increased risk of post treatment hypopigmentation, excessive skin lightening.
This treatment will use lasers in order to target the melanin that builds up in skin cells. Using special wavelengths of light, these high intensity lasers will heat up and destroy the melanin. Similar to trichloroacetic peels, this treatment may be too aggressive and risky for people with black skin due to the increased risk of hypopigmentation.
The Takeaway
Having darker skin tones will put you at a higher risk for developing hyperpigmentation spots. However, using products containing hydroquinone, arbutin, and various retinoids can help to get rid of them safely and quickly.
The best way to treat hyperpigmentation is by preventing it from happening. While some dark spots will appear due to uncontrollable factors, there are plenty of things you can do to help avoid the risk, like maintaining a daily routine skincare treatment from PROVEN Skincare.
When directly exposed to sunlight, using sunscreen and treating acne or other skin conditions promptly will go a long way toward making the fight against hyperpigmentation an easy one.
Dermatologists offer these skincare tips for preventing acne breakouts:
- Wash your face twice daily and after sweating
- Use your fingertips and gentle motions when cleansing the skin
- Rinse with lukewarm, rather than hot water
- Avoid touching your face throughout the day
- Limit sun exposure
- Only use lotions, sunscreens, and noncomedogenic cosmetics
- Remove makeup before going to bed
- Avoid harsh exfoliants that can irritate acneFortunately, there are clinically-proven ingredients to treat congested skin and acne breakouts.
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Ingredients for Hyperpigmentation
For people with darker skin tones, it’s important to use extra caution when attempting to use products that treat dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Using the wrong ingredients, or even the right ingredients in the wrong concentration, can often cause skin irritation, further discoloration, excessive skin lightening, and several other side effects. That being said, there are plenty of proven treatments for hyperpigmentation available to help even complexion in dark skin tones safely. The most important factor for treatments are the active ingredients. While some of these ingredients can be used individually, they may be more effective and less irritating when combined with blends of other skin-nourishing ingredients.
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Proven co-founder, Dr. Amy Yuan, fixed her skincare woes by using her computer science background to analyze the effectiveness of more than 20,238 skincare ingredients, 100,000 products, 20 million testimonials, and more than 4,000 scientific journal articles. Now she is applying that to create the perfect skincare for you.
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