Hyperpigmentation: A Science Backed Approach
How To Get Rid of Hyperpigmentation
Before you spend even more money on expensive, full-coverage concealers and foundations trying to cover up areas of hyperpigmentation, why don’t you take steps to get rid of it? Hyperpigmentation can be a stubborn skin issue to deal with.
Thankfully, there are things you can do to get rid of it for good and confidently embrace a makeup-free face!
What is Hyperpigmentation?
It would be hard to get rid of hyperpigmentation without understanding what it is in the first place. Many people may know of hyperpigmentation as “dark spots,” “age spots,” or even “liver spots.” However, what they all refer to is the increase in pigment in certain areas of the skin.
Our skin, hair, and eyes are all colored by a protein pigment called melanin. Everyone possesses different amounts of melanin, which results in millions of unique skin tones, hair colors, and eye colors. However, sometimes the production of melanin within certain areas of the skin can increase, leaving you with seemingly random spots of skin that are darker than the rest.
Just as skin, hair, and eyes are all unique features -- the appearance of hyperpigmentation tends to vary as well. For example, spots of hyperpigmentation tend to look very different on those with lighter skin compared to those with darker skin. Additionally, hyperpigmentation may require different treatments depending on your skin tone.
The good news is that generally speaking, hyperpigmentation is largely harmless and is nothing to be concerned about. However, it’s totally understandable that you are insecure about having an uneven skin tone and want to take the necessary steps to get rid of hyperpigmentation for good.
What Are the Types and Causes Hyperpigmentation?
Before you tackle the treatment of hyperpigmentation, it’s important to determine the root cause of the issue. After all, if you only treat the appearance of hyperpigmentation without also addressing the root cause, you’re going to be locked in a vicious cycle of dealing with hyperpigmentation that keeps appearing no matter how aggressively you treat it.
While there are several potential causes of hyperpigmentation, here are the three main ones that you need to know about:
Perhaps the most common cause of hyperpigmentation is sun exposure. While it’s not possible to avoid the sun completely, it’s important to protect your skin from the sun’s powerful and potentially harmful ultraviolet rays. Without the proper protection, you could end up with substantial sun damage that can cause things like hyperpigmentation, deep wrinkles, and even skin cancer. Hyperpigmentation from the sun occurs because the sun’s ultraviolet rays trigger an increase in melanin production within the skin. As a result, you’re left with brown or tan spots on areas like the face, legs, and hands that typically experience the most sun exposure.
Skin inflammation can lead to areas of hyperpigmentation. Also known as PIH, this could be the result of an inflammatory skin condition such as eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis. On the other hand, it could be the result of something as simple as an acne scar or a small cut. Nonetheless, if you’re experiencing other symptoms in addition to your hyperpigmentation, it might be a good idea to consult with a dermatologist to rule out inflammatory skin conditions that may require more extensive treatment.
This specific type of hyperpigmentation is typically caused by hormonal fluctuations and leads to the development of larger patches of darkened skin. This condition is linked to the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and as a result, it commonly affects women. For example, pregnant women and women taking oral contraceptive pills are more likely to develop melasma. It could also be the result of hormone therapy that involves estrogen and progesterone.
Getting Rid of Hyperpigmentation
If you’ve tried unsuccessfully to get rid of your hyperpigmentation in the past, then you know it’s not an easy task. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s totally impossible! With the right treatment and persistence, it is possible to get rid of hyperpigmentation and achieve the even skin tone you’ve been dreaming about.
Here are some of the different ways you can address hyperpigmentation, ranging from home remedies to professional cosmetic treatments performed in a doctor’s office:
If you love treatments that involve natural ingredients you can find in your own kitchen, there are a variety of different remedies you can try at home for your hyperpigmentation. For example, common household ingredients that have the potential to lighten areas of hyperpigmentation include things like turmeric, lemon juice, licorice root, yogurt, and sandalwood. Whipping up these ingredients and applying them as a quick 20-minute mask can work wonders for a variety of different skin issues -- including hyperpigmentation.
If you’re looking to get a bit more aggressive with your hyperpigmentation treatment, you should consider regular exfoliation. Exfoliating your skin helps remove the scarred and discolored upper layers to reveal the smooth and even layers underneath. While there are many different exfoliating products to choose from, we have found that chemical exfoliants with alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid are particularly effective at treating areas of hyperpigmentation with little risk of side effects. Just make sure you don't over exfoliate, or you might be worse off.
On the other hand, if you’re willing to risk increased side effects for a more effective acid treatment, you should consider a chemical peel. While this treatment can be done at home with weaker acids, we recommend having it done at a dermatologist’s office for proper application and care. This is because the acids in chemical peels can cause burning, redness, and stinging when applied incorrectly. That being said, when done correctly, chemical peels can be an effective treatment for hyperpigmentation.
Another cosmetic procedure you can use to get rid of hyperpigmentation involves the use of lasers. Depending on the exact type of laser, they may either remove the top layers of the skin and/or stimulate the lower layers to increase collagen production. This procedure must be done by a qualified medical professional and can require several treatments before you begin to see results.
If lasers and chemicals aren’t your thing, you could try using microdermabrasion to eliminate your areas of hyperpigmentation. This procedure involves the use of a special tool that is used to effectively scrape off the top layers of your skin to reveal the healthy, smooth layers underneath. This is a less invasive procedure that is gentle, yet effective throughout the course of several treatment sessions.
If you have really dark areas of hyperpigmentation or deep scars that need more intense treatment, dermabrasion could be a good option for you. This treatment is more intense and invasive than microdermabrasion because although the tool is the same, it goes deeper to remove more layers of skin all the way down to the top layer of the dermis. So while this treatment is more invasive, it also has more immediate results and won’t require as many treatment sessions.
Final Thoughts on Hyperpigmentation
Without the right information and products, getting rid of hyperpigmentation can seem like an impossible task. Thankfully, with PROVEN Skincare, we are able to create a custom-made skincare regimen that features ingredients specially proven to lighten areas of hyperpigmentation, as well as tackle your other skincare concerns such as acne, wrinkles, or dryness -- all in three easy-to-use products.
The Best Skincare Routine and Ingredients for Hyperpigmentation
While cosmetic treatments are great and all, what if there was a better way to get rid of your hyperpigmentation? As it turns out, you can tackle hyperpigmentation simply through your everyday skincare routine. Of course, we aren’t talking about your typical one size fits all skincare that doesn’t actually address your unique skin concerns -- instead, we are talking about PROVEN.
PROVEN Skincare believes that your skin is unique -- so your skincare should be, too. As a result, we have developed a revolutionary skincare database that allows us to create custom skincare formulas tailored specifically to your skin type, environment, skin concerns, and lifestyle. Our data is based on over 20 million customer reviews, 20,000 skincare ingredients, and 4,000 scientific papers.
When you take our skin quiz, we combine your information with ours to provide you with a highly personalized skincare formula out of more than 2,000 different product combinations. For example, if you’re struggling with hyperpigmentation, you could expect to see ingredients like kojic acid, azelaic acid, licorice root extract, turmeric, vitamin C, retinol, and niacinamide in your products in order to treat that specific issue.
Within your PROVEN skincare regimen, you will receive a cleanser, moisturizer, and night cream that allows you to ditch all those other complicated and ineffective skincare products. And the results speak for themselves!
So, be sure to take a few minutes to take the Skin Genome Quiz to find out more about your custom formula from PROVEN!
Here is why personalized skincare is better
Personalized skincare comes with a host of benefits
  |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Formulated and made-to-order for you | No | |
| Targeting your unique hyperpigmentation needs | No | |
| Optimized for your lifestyle + environment | No | |
| Easy 3-step system for all your skin needs | No | |
| Made by Stanford scientists and AI tech | No |
OUR TEAM
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Dr. Yuan is a Computational Physicist from Stanford University
Proven co-founder, Dr. Amy Yuan, fixed her skincare woes by using her computer science background to analyze the effectiveness of more than 20,238 skincare ingredients, 100,000 products, 20 million testimonials, and more than 4,000 scientific journal articles. Now she is applying that to create the perfect skincare for you.
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