If you have noticed patches of darker or lighter colored skin on your face or body you may be experiencing what is known as skin pigmentation.
Sometimes skin color may change in large or small patches because the body is producing either too much melanin or too little. Melanin is a natural pigment that determines the color of your skin, hair and eyes. Excess pigmentation on the face can result in patches where the skin is either darker or lighter in color and possibly uneven in tone.
Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation dark spots occur when the skin produces too much melanin causing the skin to become darker than usual. The causes of hyperpigmentation include:
• Excessive sunbathing
• Reaction to medication
• Pregnancy
• Some contraceptive pills
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• Hormonal imbalance
• Wounds that darken as they turn into a scar
Hyperpigmentation covers a rage of skin differences that can appear on the face and body such as:
• Freckles
• Moles
• Café au lait birthmarks
• Age spots
These are usually permanent. Another type of hyperpigmentation occurs in pregnancy and is usually temporary. Chloasma known as ‘the mask of pregnancy’ can appear on the forehead, nose and upper cheeks of a pregnant woman. It is caused by hormonal changes and generally fades away some time after the baby is born.
Products for hyperpigmentation
Freckles and age spots are common examples of hyperpigmentation and are often caused by sun damage. It is vital that you use a high SPF sunscreen for your face every time you go out in the sun if you have them as they could become darker in the future if not protected.
The Dermalogica ChromaWhite TRX products are suitable for preventing and reducing areas hyper-pigmentation. And Medik8 products such as C-Tetra, White Balance and Firewall are also very effective in reducing the appearance of hyper pigmentation.