“What is this dark spot on my face?” Discoloration has many different names from dark spots, age spots, melasma, pregnancy mask, to hyper-pigmentation, etc.
We are born with something called Melanin. Depending on your ethnic background some people are born with more melanin than others which explains why some skin tones are darker and some skin tones are lighter. The darker the skin tone, the more melanin the skin has. Melanin is the bodies’ natural sun protection which is great to protect against the suns harmful UV rays but irritating when you develop those pesky unwanted dark spots.
“HOW DO I GET DARK SPOTS?” Dark spots are caused by hormones and sun exposure. Groups of individual melanocyte cells join together when exposed to the suns rays.
“HOW DO I GET RID OF MY DARK SPOTS?” Melanin is produced naturally in the body so it’s unrealistic to say we can “cure” pigmentation. However, researchers have found that we can use products topically to “inhibit” melanin production. This means we can use products like Hydroquinone, Kojic acid, licorice root, etc to pause melanin production thus preventing future spots from appearing while breaking down current spots.
I like to recommend Vivant Skincare’s Bleaching Serum Forte which has advanced Hydroquinone, Kojic acid, and Vitamin A. In this unique formula, Vitamin A helps exfoliate layers of skin while the Hydroquinone and Kojic acid penetrate deeper into the skin’s layers breaking down dark spots. We have it here, at Corrective Skincare.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Treatment of pigmentation REQUIRES the use of sunscreen! You MUST reapply SPF 30+ every 2-3 hours diligently and wear protective hats. Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Otherwise, pigmentation will come back because of sun exposure, hormones and melanin production. See my blog about what SPF’s Corrective Skincare recommends to our patients, coming soon!
The use of skin lighteners and bleaching agents should be used in small amounts for short periods of time (no more than 4-5 months). Talk to your Corrective Skincare Medical Esthetician about whats right for your skin before use of these products to achieve the best results possible.
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www.CorrectiveSkincareLA.com