Hyperpigmentation

What is Hyperpigmentation?

Flat, dark areas of skin that can vary in size and colour are the result of hyperpigmentation.

The term “hyperpigmentation” is used to describe areas of uneven pigmentation. Pigmentation is the term used to describe the colouring of the skin. This happens as your skin produces more melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its colour.

Hyperpigmentation types

There are many different kinds of skin pigmentation, but the most prevalent ones include melasma, age spots, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation:

• Melasma: Larger areas of hyperpigmentation primarily appear on the face, particularly the forehead and mouth, though they can also show up on the stomach. Melasma, which can affect both men and women, is more prevalent in women and is considered to be brought on by hormonal changes and pregnancy.
• Age markers: These are brought on by sun exposure and are also referred to as liver spots or sun spots. These frequently show up on older folks. The face, neck, décolleté, hands, and other areas of the body that are frequently exposed to UV light are where they tend to appear because of this.
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: This condition develops after a skin trauma or injury heals and leaves a flat area of discoloration, typically on the neck or face. People who have eczema or acne are frequently affected by it.

Causes of hyperpigmentation

While dark patches on the skin are often not harmful, for most people they are more of an aesthetic problem. Melanin, the natural pigment that gives our skin, hair, and eyes their colour, is what causes hyperpigmentation. The main causes of an increase in melanin production are sun exposure, hormonal changes, ageing, skin injuries, and inflammation. Other potential causes include some medical conditions or drugs.

Sun exposure

Sunlight is the primary cause of hyperpigmentation because it stimulates the synthesis of melanin.
As sunlight is the principal catalyst for melanin formation, exposure to sunshine is the main cause of hyperpigmentation. People tan in the sun because melanin serves as your skin’s natural sunscreen by shielding you from damaging UV rays. Hyperpigmentation, however, can result from this process being disturbed by too much sun exposure.

Sun exposure can also make dark spots worse if they have already formed by making them even darker.

Hormonal changes

Melasma, also known as chloasma, is a specific type of hyperpigmentation that is mostly brought on by hormonal effects. It is hypothesised to happen when oestrogen and progesterone, the two main female sex hormones, induce the excessive production of melanin when the skin is exposed to sunlight. It is most prevalent among women. A side effect of some hormone therapies is hyperpigmentation.

Aging

The quantity of melanocytes, or cells that produce melanin, declines with age. However, the remaining cells grow in size and their distribution narrows. These physiological changes account for the rise of black spots in those over 40. More information on skin ageing is available there.

Skin damage and inflammation

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, as its name implies, happens after skin damage and inflammation, such as wounds, burns, chemical exposure, acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Following the healing of the wound, brown patches appear on the skin.

How to avoid hyperpigmentation.

Unfortunately not all causes of hyperpigmentation can be prevented, but there are a number of ways to help reduce the chance of pigmentation from developing.

• Avoid the sun’s UV rays is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sit in the shade or under an umbrella to reduce exposure. Wear protective clothes, such sun hats and sunglasses. Use sunscreen every day, especially in the cooler months.
• Regularly moisturise your skin to replenish the lipid (fat) barrier and increase your defences against the sun’s rays.
• Refrain from picking or scratching at patches, scabs, or acne because this can cause irritation and darker pigmentation.
• Watch out for skincare products that hurt or burn, as irritation can worsen hyperpigmentation, especially melasma.

How can we help?

Even while it’s ideal to avoid dark spots in the first place, there are things you can do to help them go away and stop them from returning after they have.

With the right sun protection, black spots on the skin may eventually vanish. Some skin pigmentation requires more rigorous therapy, but there’s no guarantee that the dark areas will fade completely.

Chemical Peel with Murad Vit C Booster

A chemical peel works by removing the top layers of skin, allowing new, healthy skin to form in its place. This can reduce the appearance of dark spots by removing unwanted melanin from the skin. When new skin forms it should be more evenly pigmented.

IPL

IPL targets the high concentration of melanin found in hyperpigmentation spots breaking up bonds between the cells to lighten the patches and disperse the clusters over time.

What products to use?

Sometimes we may also recommend and/or utilise hydroquinone together with Tretinoin, the most potent topical treatment for decreasing hyperpigmentation that is still in use today. It can only be used for brief periods of time, though, as it can irritate the skin and even induce post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, especially in persons with darker skin.