Hyperpigmentation

What is hyperpigmentation? It is the darkening of the skin aka scars, sunspots, liver spots, melasma, etc. The color is caused by melanin, a substance that gives our skin color. People with darker skin have more melanin. It is known to protect the cells and tissues of our skin. When we are exposed to sunlight, our melanin kicks into gear and acts as an umbrella to shield our cells (which is why we get a tan) but if the melanin gets damaged or overused, it does not know how to retrieve back into the deeper layers of our skin and that's when it becomes a visible hyperpigmentation.

Melanin is an important substance in our body because it helps with protecting against skin cancer and it is also an anti-aging tool for our skin. It is the reason we get post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, since it is programmed to be our bodies defense mechanism when our cells and tissues are or can potentially be damaged in any way. Picking or squeezing your pimple is irritating an already infected area so in doing so you are creating a deeper scar that will be harder to get rid of. To avoid scarring from breakouts, here a several tips you can try:
-if the pimple is new and still very deep under the skin, try icing it. Calming the inflammation will allow the pimple to mature quicker and raise to the surface of the skin. The sooner it starts to heal, the less scarring you will have.
-apply a spot treatment (ie 2% salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide) when the pimple has come up to an head, meaning you see the white puss. Or you can use a clay mask as spot treatment if it is a stubborn one.
-great tip for breakouts, crush some aspirins, mix w/ water and apply as a mask.**only use when you have a breakout and not daily** Salicylic Acid is derived from aspirin and is usually mixed with alcohol when purchased in the form of salicylic acid, doing this is a more gentle way without the alcohol.

Here are some tips to avoid and correct hyperpigmentation:
-USE sun protection!!! SPF 30 is recommended, rain or shine! Layering your sun protection is the best coverage, ie Vit. C, SPF, mineral makeup or makeup with a little spf in it.
-Vitamin C not only helps boosts your skin's ability to protect itself from the sun, but is also an antioxidant fighting the free radical process that naturally happens in our body causing liver spots, age spots, or hyperpigmentation caused from hormones (sometimes called the pregnancy mask) usually seen as a darkening on the upper lip or along the cheek bones. It is also a skin brightener to help lighten the damage or hyperpigmentation that is already there. It is normal to feel slight tingling for the first 10 or so days of applying Vit. C, just as long as it doesn't itch or develop a rash on the area applied.
-Hydroquinone or arbutin (natural form of hydroquinone, extracted from the bearberry plant) are stronger forms of skin lightening, it suppresses the formation of melanin. Must be used under the care of a skin care specialist or doctor.
-Use products with other botanical brighteners such as bearberry, kojic acid, licorice, etc.
Once again, SPF is very important while using any of these ingredients. It would make no sense to correct the damage when you are not preventing more damage from happening. As I always say, prevention is much easier than correction! Til next time, happy holidays and I will see you again on my journey to beautiful skin~