No one wants their skin discolored, and so hyper pigmentation is a skin irritant many cannot live with no matter how little. It is also a fact that this kind of skin problem is directly and otherwise the cause of many skin issues.
Some people have given up the fight, while some are grudgingly letting it be because they feel there is nothing more to do to evict the unwanted tenant building castles on their skin. Here is a word of encouragement: don not give up because there is still one little dim light from the tunnel, who knows where it might lead? But the fact there is a tiny light means the sunshine is not too far away. Just continue reading this article to the end where the sun is clearer and brighter!
Hyper pigmentation, what is it?
Hyper pigmentation is harmless but common skin condition that leaves a part of the skin darker than the other. It is a common problem among people of all races no matter their color types. Medically, the darkening of some part of the skin is a result of overproduction of the skin coloring agent, the melanin; this happens over time, in the efforts to protect the skin of harm from sunlight.
Sometimes the need to sunburn (tanning) and get our skin to darker could lead to overexposure, for those not tanning purposely, going out in the summer sun for economic purposes and other needs can get us to overproduce melanin and results in hyper pigmentation.
Types of hyper pigmentation
Effectively treating hyper pigmentation requires you first to know the type you have. Otherwise, it could be time wasting treating headache with medicine for stomachache. Here are the different types of hyper pigmentation:
Freckles (Ephelides)
Freckles are identified when you see clusters of spots, mostly across your T-zone (upper cheeks and nose) of young people. It usually looks flat and circular and gives a distinct pigmentation that is very visible and easily noticed on approaching.
Freckles is a genetic issue that is accentuated by sunburn, of particular note, is that it fades in cold weather (winter), but other types of pigmentation are not known to fade.
Freckles can appear on the face, chest and arms.
Age Spots
This type commonly affects the face, chest, and hands and you will know it by its small, flat dark spots. Overexposure to sunlight causes it. Age spot is not a melanin pigment, but it results from the cellular waste pigment called Lipofuscin. It is not easy telling the difference between Age Spots and Sun Spots unless a particular UV light instrument is used.
Sun Spots (Lentigines)
These are dark spots (brown), it affects the face, chest, and hands and exposure to sunlight cause it. It looks small, flat and dark spots in the affected areas. Please note that it results from many years of exposure to sunlight and not just a day of exposure. It is also called dark spots or brown spots and in some cases, a few refer to it as liver spot. Maybe trying to use the color of the liver to identify it, but I feel this is misleading as it has no relationship with the liver organ we know.
Post-Inflammatory Hyper pigmentation (PIH)
PIH appears pink, red or brown on the face looking flat. Acne causes the Post Inflammatory Hyper pigmentation.
Melasma
Also called chloasma pigmentation is deeper in the skin dermis caused by friction, acne, burn or harsh clinical treatment, chemical peel, dermabrasion or reaction to topical products. Its color is light to medium brown and looks like splotchy patches of varying shapes and sizes. It can appear on the cheeks, the upper part of the nose, sides of the face, on the forehead and above the lip. Melasma is caused by hormonal surges in pregnancy or use of birth control and sun exposure.
Treatments of various types of hyper pigmentation
Treating hyper pigmentation differs according to which type you have. While it can be disheartening to have hyper pigmentation, the good news a lot of them it can be treated, even at home using natural or other types of skin solution. But more importantly, getting rid of it will require personal commitment and knowledge of the right products to use. We recommend using natural products to prevent solving one problem and causing multiple others when you use chemical based products.
How to get rid of hyper pigmentation
The truth is, the type of hyper pigmentation you have will determine the solution and approach. While some are genetic, others are the result of related skin problems which developed into hyper pigmentation. But we found a similitude of approach to get rid of them all using proven routine that you will follow in taking care of your skin for a radiant and flawless appearance.
3 steps to get rid of hyper pigmentation
The three steps to rid your skin of hyper pigmentation will look into the fundamentals to address the causes and reverse the effect. We will look at a routine that will get you gradually bring back your skin to life and prevent any recurring possibility of some types of hyper pigmentation like Melasma. The routine will comprise chains of actions you will need to take to get rid of the situation without further side effect.
Step one: Identify your type of hyper pigmentation
The first step you need to take towards ridding your skin of the scourge is to know the kind of the condition you have and learn all you can about how to remove and maintain the after removal. While doing that, it is important to know that your past actions have contributed to your hyper pigmentation and you may need to identify how you have contributed to it and make a habit change.
Ways to identify your type of hyper pigmentation:
- Learn about it by reading all you can from experts contribution on the subject
- Talk to skin care experts about it
- Meet dermatologists for examination, advice and recommendation
After you have done that, you should be able to have your hand on the type, causes, and solutions. Then decide on what solution to follow and from the roots, take a firm stand on how to change your lifestyle to prevent reoccurrence after treatment. You need to find trusted cure to rid your skin of the condition permanently. We do not recommend the chemical solution to avoid creating even graver problem after the treatment.
Step two: Get the solution
There are various solutions to get rid of hyper pigmentation, they include:
- Chemical
- Laser
- Herbal product
- Medical
What you choose for a solution should be what you can handle, both financially and in the application. You may have the money but not able to meet the requirement for treatment. But go for the solution that is affordable and practicable.
There are natural products, already formulated for your type of hyper pigmentation. Such products do not need extra work on your part than to apply and follow the direction of use. Some products will require that you put together a couple of ingredients before application. Unless you have a flair for such things like bringing different herbal ingredients together, that solution is not for you.
Step three: Create a hyper pigmentation removal routine
You have understood your type of hyper pigmentation, consulted experts and know various kinds of solutions and have made your choice. It’s time to plan how you want to administer the solution as prescribed to rid your skin of pigmentation.
Note that the solution must be combined with a lifestyle change to recover from the problem fully. Here is a simple routine that will work for most people.
- Cleanliness routine
It is a fundamental understanding that all skin problems resolution requires basic hygiene and that includes regular washing and exfoliation. Therefore, before applying your hyper pigmentation removal product, clean up the affected areas. Also exfoliate at least once weekly to unclog your skin pores for sufficient air penetration and to allow the product penetrate sufficiently. Let your cleanliness routines be for morning and night, daily.
- Apply your solution religiously
Follow the direction prescribed for using the product you have bought or get the ingredients and prepare as instructed and use as expected.
- Avoid situation that may frustrate your effort at removing the hyper pigmentation
Exposure to sun UV aggravates most hyper pigmentation cases; you have to avoid the situation where you continue to expose yourself to it. That would amount to taking two steps forward and three or four steps backward. It is important to get used to using sun screening product to protect your skin from UV, but make it a natural sunscreen.
Watch your progress and tweak the solution
While administering the solution to rid your skin of hyper pigmentation, you need to monitor the progress and see if there is any change or not and discuss with your skin expert on the outcome.
For information on skin care products that works, go here.