Hyperpigmentation is something that's really quite common for most of us,whether it's from marks left over from pimples, breakouts, or acne or even sun-induced spots,or even things like melasma.Depending on what type of hyperpigmentation you're dealing with,it can be quite simple to reduce or quite stubborn and can take months of consistent loving care to help brighten and line up certain areas. Most of the time we all like to see, you know, really quick results,but some things just take time.
And it's probably the best approach and mindset to take when it comes to skincare is:Patience.
But because we all go through different skin situations that bring about discoloration and uneven skin tone issues,we'll see that there are quite a lot of ingredients out there, designed and marketed to help lighten and brighten the looks of these hyperpigmentation marks.And to make it easier, we thought it would be really fun to share with you guys our personal routines, when we want to tackle some of these discoloration issues,and discuss some of the most gentle and effective ingredients formulated to deal with this.
It's like, niacinamide, azelaic acid, alpha arbutin, and polyhydroxy acid, or PHA and a new and exciting ingredient,tranexamic acid in our nighttime skincare routine to really help with evening out the skin tone and helping with hyperpigmentation issues.Because we want to spread our ingredients over the entire skincare routine,it's important to know how to layer and recipe-build with these ingredients.
Let's learn about different skin types and which products will help with specific skin concerns like, hyperpigmentation.
What hyperpigmentation actually is:
Let's first quickly go over what hyperpigmentation is and how it forms in the first place.The hyperpigmentation refers to any condition that leads to a discoloration or a darkening of the skin.So it's pretty general.One of the most common forms of hyperpigmentation, when we say dark spots, is usually referring to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or PIH.And it's pretty common for those of you who've ever popped a pimple. Basically, probably, all of us can have any sort of inflammation on the skin, which then left a brown or reddish mark,even from scratching or if you hurt yourself and you have issues like eczema.One of the other most common form of hyperpigmentation is melasma,which can be caused by repeated sun exposure,pregnancy, or hormonal fluctuations, which can all bring about the bigger, patchy, and blotchy darkening of the skin.And this can develop anywhere on the cheeks,the forehead, the upper lip, and chin.
The good news is that these type of hyperpigmentation,or discoloration, on the skin will naturally go away,in time, because our skin renews and sheds itself on a daily basis.But some stubborn marks can take much longer because it might have affected the deeper layers of the skin.
And this is where ingredient-focused skincare products specifically targeted towards dealing with pigmentation can really help speed up that cell renewal process and inhibit the melanin production that occurs in the skin, in a gentle way.
Hyperpigmentation nighttime routines.
Routines can change all the time, depending on the skin condition that you're trying to work with.We love when the nighttime rolls around and we can do our nighttime routine.Because it's the perfect time to use specific ingredients and products to work through the night and support our body's natural repair mode while we sleep and the night is when the skin regeneration and renewal is all happening very naturally.So it's really important that we feed our skin the ingredients and nutrients that it needs at each step of our routine.So what's your typical nighttime ritualor do you do anything before and after?
So starting with cleansing!
You can start with any foaming cleanser,that can help you in brightening and lightening your skin.You can also use a cleanser that has micro ground granules, which are not coarse like seeds because it can be damaging for your skin. It should give you a hydrating effect.This process should prove to be a gentle physical exfoliant to help buff away all of that dead skin,because it's the dead skin that can actually make you look really dull and ashy and not bright.
Most of us do have combo skin, especially the t-zone and the most problematic area with oil can be your nose.So with cleansers ,gently first foam around your face and then focus on the nose, the butterfly zone, double cleanse,if it is required.It's also important that you cleanse for enough time and the recommended time is at least 60 seconds.
Next step is toner:
Toners are a great way to start incorporating more of these brightening ingredients to lighten up the look of hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone.And you'll want to look for products with maybe some gentle AHAs like, glycolic acid or lactic acid, but if you're sensitive and you want more of a gentle option,
Toner help to exfoliate your skin and, therefore, help with brightening and overall complexion while being gentle enough to use daily.So how AHAs work is that they stimulate the skin to naturally exfoliate.Toners work to smooth and help reduce the pore size.While toners with azelaic acid helps with brightening and helps to even out the skin tone.
Toners are packed with lots of goodies like azelaic acid, PHA.The tranexamic and niacinamide all of those ingredients are so good at gently brightening the skin.
But sometimes for the very first few times,it can get stingy but then after two days, it becomes fine.AHAs,could be irritating for some of you who aren't used to it.So people with more sensitive skin can go for a more gentle option "the PHA toner".
With sensitive skin, who still want the work of chemical exfoliants to buff away and slough off that dead skin,which helps, you know, in turn, brighten scarring and marks and things like that.PHA stands for polyhydroxy acid, and you'll see it listed as the gluconolactone, or lactobionic acid, in the ingredients list.
There are many toners available that pair PHA with niacinamide,for those of you with oily or combination skin,it helps to balance the oil production on your skin.
Serums:
Serums are completely a necessity in everyone's basic skincare routine, it is great to have an add-into really target those specific skin concerns like,brightening up hyperpigmentation.
So you definitely want to try using an ingredient-focused serum to help in fading these dark spots while maintaining hydration, and that's the most important.
Serums with Niacinamide contains moisturizing elements that are similar to our natural skin cells that help to balance oil and water.So it helps with the skin barrier, as well as make the skin clear and help with texture.Niacinamide works great for all skin types.
It can bring a slow but gradual brightening.It's not like, you're not gonna put it on and instantly brighten your skin. And that's a key point because we're gonna later on talk about things like, hydroquinone, which is those instant brighteners. Niacinamide can help to control oil, it can help reduce pore size.
Serums can really helps to hydrate, as well.There are many skin brightening serums like: vitamin C,hyaluronic acid, alpha arbutin, and niacinamide.
Alpha arbutin and niacinamide is another combo duo to look out for.Arbutin is a molecule extracted from the bearberry plant or bush. Alpha arbutin is a water-soluble form of arbutin, and you'll see it in a lot of different brightening products,mainly in serums,overnight masks, and also water creams.It works by blocking the tyrosinase.Therefore, reducing dark spots from forming and the good thing is that it's generally safe for all skin types again, and it also works really well with vitamin C, as well as, AHAs.So you could use this to soothe, nourish, and hydrate.
The last step of our skincare routine : Moisturizer.
There is a friendly reminder that for daytime you have to put on sunscreen and protect yourself. Sunscreen helps in reducing and helping deflate those signs of hyperpigmentation.
An introduction of" The tranexamic acid night treatment":
Many people have started using this ingredient for trating hyperpigmentation, acne marks, because it's a rather new ingredient,it's not widely available in the skincare world yet.Tranexamic acid can actually be taken orally, injected, and applied topically.it was originally used in surgeries to stop excessive bleeding
But when applied topically, some studies have shown that it is comparable to Hydroquinone,which is one of those really potent ingredients commonly used in lightening and brightening skincare products.But there's also controversy surrounding hydroquinone and whether it's a safe ingredient or not,which is why it's banned in many countries because it can definitely cause irritation.So there was a study that tested hydroquinone and tranexamic acid on each side of the face with women in Iran, and both revealed that there was about 52% improvement of hyperpigmentation on both sides.But tranexamic acid caused less irritation when used at 2%.So essentially it works as a depigmenting agent,which helps to inhibit the production of melanin on our skin,which is why we have dark spots to begin with.The overproduction of melanin is what creates these brown spots on our skin.Whether they're little spots, patches, or blobs is the increase of melanin that is causing this.
So now that we know more about the ingredient.Remember to spread all your skincare products from the hand line all the way down to your neck because this also ages.
Trnexamic acid pairs very well with niacinamide,as well as, alpha arbutin.When used with PHA, it helps with the cell turnover to reveal fresher, more glowing skin.So all in all, it's a very easy ingredient to incorporate into your routine as a treatment.
Antioxidants in your products is another requirement for treating a skin condition like hyperpigmentation as well because free radicals is also what causes dullness and kind of like aging skin that doesn't look very bright.So when you nourish and hydrate your skin,automatically your skin cells will be very plump and happy and bright.Antioxidants are also used when you have acne marks,and it helps with inflammation, redness,and just, you know, soothing and calming the skin.
Caution:
If you're using a retinol so you shouldn't pair it with other forms of acids and stuff like the PHA, the tranexamic acid, the niacinamide.All of them can be used interchangeably.But once again, it really does depend on each person's circumstances.
Just make sure if you're introducing a new product, patch test it and you have to do this patch test for at least a couple days to see if there is any reaction.You have to be very careful about the products and which ones work well together.
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