One of the main concerns for the modern girl is; How do I deal with the dark pigmentation on my skin?
It ages us and can be a lengthy process to overturn.
There are three main reasons people have dark spots and pigmentation on their skin:
1) Sun damage 2) Hormonal shifts 3) External/Internal blemish on the skin.
Let me explain.
Sun damage is caused by over exposure to the UVA/UVB rays of the sun. It can occur over time or quickly if too much exposure has occurred such as boating, skiing, tanning beds, or beaching it!
The suns rays penetrate the dermal layer where damage develops overtime. The melanocytes have a protective switch that causes us to tan but also causes sun damage. i.e pigmentation.
As we age the depth of the damage increases and more of the dark spots become obvious.
Hormonal shifts due to birth control, pregnancy, menopause, and medications cause an internal change in the melanocytes and how they relate to the skin. The latter is usual due to the hypersensitivity to sun that causes the skin to be more prone to the external effects of sun exposure. Introduction of higher estrogen can increase the sensitivity to the sun, as well.
External/Internal damage is usually seen in darker skin types when a blemish is present. The skins' response is to protect the skin by pigmenting the area of the blemish. This can take many months to fade after the fact. Picking at the blemish will only cause more damage to the surface tissue. It can be a frustrating by-product of having a breakout.
The Fix:
Fortunately there is an arsenal of remedies to this pesky problem. Through professional services and high grade products these issues can be addressed.
Laser services provide quick relief with minimal to substantial downtime. Look for ablative(skin removal) or non-ablative(non skin removal). Ablative will incur significant downtime and non ablative may produce redness and some peeling but far easier to bounce back from. Intense pulse Light (IPL) is under the laser guise but uses scattered light to breakup pigmentation at about 550 nanometers. This is a fantastic way to target surface pigmentation in a short period of time.
Chemical peels are available in varying strength and target varying depths dependent on the formulation. I recommend lactic and mandelic or for a stronger effect use TCA or Jessner.
Hydroquinone products are a skin lightening topical agent that fades the pigmentation over time. I recommend HQ in a 2-4% strength. This product usually coincides with laser or chemical peel services.
Retin-A is a great way to lighten skin and get the benefits of skin tightening and removal of fine lines. Available in .025, .05. &.1%
Now is the time to reverse the sun damage from years past with these tried and true techniques. the intensity of the sun is at it's weakest during the winter months.
Thank you for reading and as always would love to hear feedback and answer any of your skin care questions.
Keene Cosmetics-Smart Skin Care
