Dark spots, sunspots, hyperpigmentation – whatever you call it, excess pigmentation on your skin is never fun to deal with, and can oftentimes be a huge point of concern for many people. The good news is there is hope in sight, but you have to be consistent and stay on top of maintenance.
What Is Melasma?
Also referred to as pregnancy mask, melasma is a condition caused by hormonal change from pregnancy or hormonal treatments, such as birth control. It usually appears in patches on the face—forehead and upper lip are sites of predilection—and it’s more likely in women than men.
Precautions to Consider
Sun exposure.
Hyperpigmentation is caused when melanin is overproduced in certain spots on the skin. Melanin goes into overproduction in the sun to protect our skin from harmful UV rays, causing them to look darker than your natural skin tone. Exposure to the sun makes the issue worse.
Salicylic Acid
Products with salicylic acid can have a damaging effect on melasma-ridden skin.
Diet
Avoiding certain foods with high estrogen content—e.g. dried fruit, chickpeas, tofu, soy and multigrain bread—will help limit or correct melasma
How to Get Rid of Melasma
While melasma can be frustrating, there are some home remedies that can help fade dark patches. Furthermore, “in-office procedures like IPL and Pulsed Dye Laser treatment (PDL) will reduce symptoms,” says Dr. Engelman.
For those looking to reduce the look of melasma at home, Dr. Engelman recommends the following:
Fortunately, Barris Laser & Skincare has several tools that can help brighten and even your skin, minimizing the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Our skin care experts can give you a customized consultation to analyze your skin and give you the best options to get it looking bright and beautiful.
Fortunately, there are other ways to combat blotchiness that are less harsh on the skin. With a bit of patience and the right products, superficial hyperpigmentation can be easily treated with a dedicated daily skincare routine.
Cleanse
First, prep your skin with a facial cleanser that contains lightening ingredients such as vitamin c, bearberry, licorice root or lactic acid. Our personal favorite is Vitamin C Hydrating Facial Cleanser from Image Skincare. It contains vitamins a, c, and e to nourish, repair and protect skin – it also helps to stimulate collagen production for firmer looking skin and green tea to help soothe irritation and calm inflammation (if you have rosacea, this cleanser is gentle enough for every day use).
Exfoliate
Next, gently exfoliate your skin with a light facial scrub, brush or washcloth to remove dead skin cells. If you don’t remove those dead skin cells, they could potentially block the treatment products that you will apply next from penetrating your skin and being effective.
While exfoliation can be an excellent way to promote softer, smoother skin in your weekly or bi-weekly skin care regimen, it can also have a positive effect on hyperpigmentation. Dr. Engelman suggests incorporating a chemical or physical exfoliant to help fade and lighten dark patches on skin.
Treat
Ageless Total Skin Lightening Serum
After you exfoliate, apply a serum that contains active skin brightening ingredients. Serums are specially designed with smaller molecules that can easily penetrate the skin and give you the results you want to see. As with your cleanser, look for serums that contain vitamin c, bearberry, licorice root or lactic acid. I prefer to use Ageless Total Skin Lightening Serum from Image Skincare – an oil-free serum with a natural blend of bearberry, kojic acid and licorice to lighten freckles, melasma and age spots. It contains high doses of vitamin c to immediately reduce the redness associated with rosacea and is ideal for all skin types. I’ve been using this serum for a couple of months now and have seen significant brightening of my skin overall.
Moisturize & Protect
Finally, be sure to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen on your face, neck, chest and hands every single day – even if you work indoors. There are sunscreens available that double as facial moisturizers, and come in formulations that are appropriate for normal/dry and oily skin types. We love Prevention Plus by Image Skincare because they come in an SPF 30 – 32 and offer a moisturizing option for dry skin and a matte option for oily skin.
Sunscreen can prevent darkening of current hyperpigmentation, as well as prevent future pigmentation from occurring, so it is essential that you use sunscreen (and invest in a cute floppy hat!) whenever you are using any skin brightening products. If you don’t use sunscreen in conjunction with skin brightening products, you run the risk of making the dark spots you want to disappear even darker.
