By: Hannah Hartz
Hannah Hartz is a Chicago-based esthetician with 7 years experience. She currently works at CaTara Med Spa. Here, Hartz shares the best products for hyperpigmentation.
When was the last time you looked in the mirror and wondered about the discoloration on your skin? This morning, maybe? Welcome to the wonderful world of being an adult, where those moments of basking in the sun or tanning bed catch up to the surface of your skin. When those cute freckles you used to have are now blotchy dark spots that stubbornly won’t go away, it’s time to stop trying to cover up with makeup and bring out the heavy-duty stuff to help combat one of the more prominent signs of aging: hyperpigmentation.
The Best Products for Hyperpigmentation
Before you reach for any old “skin brightening” product and call it a day, let’s look at the best ingredients and methods for pigmentation reduction that are available. Any good regimen has to include both preventative and corrective products. What do these look like in your routine? Your big top three preventative products are your SPF, a big hat, and some UV-blocking sunglasses. In order to make anyprogress in evening out your skin tone, it is absolutely, 100% necessary to keep any further damage from your skin. What’s the point in clearing up damage when you are not even preventing more damage from forming? Plus, most treatments for hyperpigmentation cause additional sensitivity to the sun, so it is especially important to stay protected.
Reducing the Appearance of Dark Spots
Once you are solidly protected, it’s time to address your pigmentation situation. The process of reducing the pigmentation has various methods you may follow, both at home and with your skincare specialist! At home, you want pigment-lightening products, which help to inhibit the discoloration, and resurfacing products, which will shed the outer layers and allow the new, even skin to come up. Some cool pigment-lightening ingredients you can spot in products include kojic acid, azelaic acid, mulberry extract, licorice extract, l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and hydroquinone. Some cool resurfacers to include are alpha hydroxy acids and retinols. Throw a nice little combo of these ingredients on regularly to get on track for evening out your skin tone!
Go Even Deeper
While you’re gradually balancing out your skin at home, pop in to see your favorite esthetician or dermatologist to work on some deeper treatments. Chemical peels can work wonders at both deeply resurfacing your skin and providing potent lightening ingredients. Another amazing option is microneedling, which can address uneven pigmentation deposits even deeper – all the way into the dermal layer of the skin – than chemical peels. Lasers and IPL work wonders when it comes to hyperpigmentation as well. Using a laser, you can safely perform a very deep resurfacing or even use radio frequency technology to treat in a similar style as microneedling. IPL uses pulsed light technology to break up pigmentation deposits and help them to rise up to the surface so that they can be shed sooner.
Who knew there were so many ways to address one issue? The real magic, though, lies in the combination of all of these treatments. A hard-core home care regimen complete with sun protection will lay the ground work for beautiful, brightened skin, and a perfectly composed series of in-office treatments will effectively diminish all that stubborn hyperpigmentation ruining your perfect radiance. So, stop layering on your makeup everyday hoping for evenness, and go make a consultation with your skincare specialist to determine the perfect products and treatments to achieve naturally perfect skin!