As the saying goes, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, what could be closer than that of the skin we wear on a daily basis. The largest living organ of the human body that we hate to love and love to hate, but will be with us for the rest of our lives, so why don’t we get better acquainted?
Our skins tell a story of the lives we have lived, the adventures we have had and the traumas we have experienced and everyone’s skin tells a story that is unique and cannot be compared to that of someone else, no matter how similar they may be.
The melanocyte, which is found at the base of the epidermis is responsible for producing and distributing melanin, which gives our skin it’s color, into skin cells which lie above it. It has only the best intentions of providing protection the moment that inflammation is detected, like our very own skin security system.
Internal and external factors such as stress, heat, sun and UV light can trigger a protective response from the melanocyte, resulting in an over production of melanin. This can leave the skin looking uneven and blotchy with dark spots. In some cases, the marks eventually fade over time and in others they are here to stay for much longer than what we would like.
The skin only knows one way of protecting itself and instead of becoming frustrated with the fact that the skin has become darker, take a step back to approach it from a different angle, try to understand why this is happening and how to better manage it from this point moving forward.
Knowledge is power and can become an invaluable tool to help you to achieve the best possible version of your skin. Getting better acquainted with the one thing that causes you stress and knocks your confidence, may be the key to managing your expectations and creating sustainable results.
There are 3 very important factors to consider when treating and managing hyperpigmentation in the skin:
- Protection – Daily application of a broad-spectrum SPF as well as additional protective clothing such as hats.
- Inhibitors – Ingredients such as Kojic acid, Ascorbic acid and Hexylresorcinol to limit the transfer of melanin into the skin cells.
- Correction – Exfoliation to remove existing pigmentation in the skin using ingredients such as retinol, retinyl palmitate and salicylic acid.
The road to treating and managing hyperpigmentation is not a smooth one and can often feel a lot like a roller coaster. As long as one sticks to the basic rules of being consistent with the correct ingredients and taking all precautionary measures to limit new production of hyperpigmentation, will help to smooth out some of the ups and downs on your journey to brighter and even skin.
