Get Rid Of Dark Spots On Face And Hyperpigmentation On Any Skin Color

Skin discoloration and dark spots on the face is collectively known as hyperpigmentation. Since we are all prone to dark spots on face, proper skin care is something we all need to learn. If you’ve spent days in the sun, you are likely to have several red marks or dark spots on your face. Similarly, if you’ve had a long lasting, annoying pimple, the probability of having a few dark spots on your face is very high. At this point, you’ve probably realized that no matter the masks or scrubs you use on your dark spots to make them go away, they never fade completely.

Understanding Hyperpigmentation

To properly deal with your black spots on face, you need to know what causes it first. For starters, hyperpigmentation is how your skin reacts to injury. According to dermatologists, following an injury to your skin, the cells responsible for creating melanin, melanocytes, go into overdrive and make even more melanin especially at the site of injury leading to hyperpigmentation.

Skin injuries can arise from shaving or small pimples. Additionally, small eczema patches on your skin and spending time in the sun without proper protection can result in skin injuries. For some reason, your melanocytes turn their attention on your injury to create tons of melanin leading to hyperpigmentation.

It is prudent to note that skin discoloration varies from one person to the other. For instance, people with lighter skin tones, their response to skin injuries tend to appear like dark spots, and patches called hyperpigmentation. Conversely, people with darker skin tones produce light spots, known as hypopigmentation and melasma, which are large brown patches caused by hormonal changes from pregnancy and birth control.

Any of the two skin discolorations can affect any skin type and color anytime. Therefore, no one should feel lucky. What you should do is to find out your type of discoloration by examining yourself in the mirror. Once you’ve established your type of discoloration, you can begin treatment.

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Fixing Annoyingly Hypopigmentation And Hyperpigmentation

It is almost impossible to treat your annoying hypopigmentation skin discoloration using over the counter creams. Instead, you should let your hypopigmentation fade slowly by itself. Although this sounds insane, it is the only way and dermatologist promise that the spots will fade with time. When it comes to hyperpigmentation, there are various solutions to deal with the discoloration.

Hydroquinone

The most powerful solution to get rid of your brown spots on face is by the use of Hydroquinone. Note that hydroquinone can be very irritating to the skin. It acts as a skin lightener where it inhibits the production of melanin. Hydroquinone should be applied on the skin in 3-4% concentrations at night to lighten your hyperpigmentation quickly. The downside of using hydroquinone to treat your dark spots is the irritation it causes to the skin. Additionally, overusing this treatment can lead to skin darkening especially if you have a darker complexion.

Over The Counter Retinoids

You may also want to try over the counter retinoids such as Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair to deal with your dark spots and redness caused by acne. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair contains vitamin-A derivatives, which helps trigger cells turnover. This leaves you with fresher, brighter, and newer skin after about one year of use. Although over the counter retinoids are effective at lightening spots, they take longer. Additionally, they can be very irritating to the skin and can dry it out. Therefore, you are advised to apply a small amount on your face two times per week to start. More importantly, you are encouraged to use hydroquinone and retinoids under the supervision of your dermatologist.

Related: TREATMENT FOR SUN DAMAGED SKIN : IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO CURE IT

Antioxidants

Antioxidants can also act as excellent treatments for brown spots on skin. Antioxidants such as vitamin C can brighten your skin and lighten dark spots with time. At low percentages, antioxidants are safe on all skin tones. With vitamin C, your risk of irritation is very small as opposed to other treatment options. However, the results can be a little slower, but with continual use, you will notice significant changes in your skin tone and your dark spots will begin to fade after six months.

Treating skin discoloration and dark spots at home is the same regardless of your skin tone, light skin tone or dark skin tone. As we’ve seen with hydroquinone, dark skins tend to develop dark spots when irritated. If you have a dark complexion, you need to be extra vigilant when using even the lowest concentrated lightening products. Make sure you stop using your lightening product immediately you experience the first sign of irritation to avoid exacerbating the problem. More importantly, no matter your skin type, dermatologists recommend using high SPF sunscreens especially if your face has multiple dark spots.

Studies show that prolonged sun exposure without proper protection triggers melanin production. Therefore, your hyperpigmentation is likely to appear darker quickly if you don’t use sunscreen. Failing to apply sunscreen when treating your skin discoloration negates your efforts thus use sunscreen every day for quicker results. Besides protecting your skin from sun damages such as dark spots and sunburns, sunscreens safeguard the skin from cancer. Consider purchasing high-SPF sunscreens preferably the ones with SPF 50. Such sunscreens work efficiently to offer maximum protection against harmful UV radiation. Additionally, they don’t clog your pores and won’t mess with your makeup.

Conclusion

If you want to eliminate dark spots and hyperpigmentation from your skin, you need to use the right products. Most importantly, you need to find out your skin discoloration type before you begin treatment. Bear in mind that although hydroquinone is the most powerful treatment for dark spots and hyperpigmentation, it can irritate the skin. By religiously using hydroquinone, your skin discoloration will become a thing of the past. Your skin will become younger, brighter-looking fast if you use sunscreen together with your treatment. Other effective treatments include over-the-counter retinols and glycolic acid and Azelaic acid. Although these procedures are slow, they are effective. Additionally, they do not cause as much irritation as hydroquinone.