What is Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is caused by an overproduction of melanin – the pigment that gives our skin, hair and eyes its natural colour – in patches of the skin. This overproduction is triggered by a variety of factors, but the main ones can be linked back to sun exposure, genetic factors, age, hormonal influences, and skin injuries or inflammation.
The main contributing factors:
Ultraviolet rays and overall sun exposure is the number one cause of hyperpigmentation. Sunlight triggers the production of melanin (melanin acts as your skin’s natural sunscreen by protecting you from harmful UV rays), which is why people tan in the sun. But excessive sun exposure can disrupt this process, leading to hyperpigmentation.
As dark spots develop, sun exposure can also exacerbate dark spots by making freckles, age spots, melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation spots even darker.
When diagnosed with melasma, it is a root iss of hormonal influences. It’s particularly common among women, as it’s thought to occur when the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone stimulate the overproduction of melanin when skin is exposed to the sun.
Melasma is primarily due to female hormones. It affects so many pregnant women that it is also known as “the mask of pregnancy”. It’s more prevalent among people with darker skin.
Hyperpigmentation is also symptomatic of certain illnesses, such as some autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases, metabolic disorders and vitamin deficiencies. Hyperpigmentation is also a side effect of certain hormone treatments, chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, antimalarials, anti-seizure drugs, and other medications.
Fact: Melasma – a form of hormone-induced hyperpigmentation – affects around 90% of pregnant women..
How to stop its progression:
If, like me, you’ve spent a little too much time sun-worshipping over the years (whether naturally or artificially tanning), your skin, whether or not it shows, is damaged. Thankfully, the damage can be reversed with the right products. There is a plethora of treatments and products (confusion central) pertaining to hyperpigmentation and dark spots. Buyer beware, high acidity and harsh surfactants tear down the skin’s natural moisture barrier - in result thinning the skin and accelerates again. The skin is an entire ecosystem, and needs to be renewed and repaired as a whole - too much of “Yin” with no “yang” is often where women end up when trying to address skin spots and fine lines.
I’ve addressed the nuisance of deepening fine lines and dark spots with this oxygenating, collagen reinvigorating and brightening stem cell serum. Included in the formula is a myriad of ingredients from the sea and seed nutrients that work together to reduce the appearance of dark spots and deliver an even, luminous complexion.
Vitamin C-Esters are paramount in reducing the appearance of dark spots and rejuvenating the skin’s collagen reproduction. Botanical stem cells both inhibiting the transfer of melanosomes, which can create dark spots. Plankton Sea Enzymes nearly instantly repair UV-damaged DNA to reduce the signs of damage and aging due to sun exposure, while protecting the skin from further damage.
Interestingly, CBD also suites up and gets the job done and here’s how.
Vitamin C and E help protect from UV damage. They also keep free radicals from damaging collagen and elastin which gives skin its tight and bouncy appearance.
Vitamin A aids development of healthy looking skin as they play a direct role in skin repair. A lack of these vitamins result in dry, flaky skin. Vitamin A is also widely accepted for its role in skin cell growth, inhibiting oil production and promoting skin cell differentiation.
Lastly, limiting the time you spend in the sun, wearing protective clothing, and using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high SPF can help reduce your risk of developing hyperpigmentation, and stop existing dark spots from getting worse.