If you have ever dealt with any type of acne you probably have also had to deal with dark spots or hyperpigmentation. Dark spots “occur when some areas of the skin produce more melanin than usual”, according to Medical News Today. They can be caused by sun damage (also known as sun spots), hormonal changes, medication side effects, inflammation, a wound healing, irritation, or diabetes. Many people often gain dark spots after acne marks have been picked at and it is the skin’s way of healing. They are usually harmless but no one really wants to see them on their skin, so here are my tips on how I have gotten my dark spots to fade. I am by no means an esthetician but these are things that worked for me.
Face Mask
There are many face masks marketed to help with hyperpigmentation, my favorite has been The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng and Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask. This masks is meant to illuminate, even, and revitalize skin. Blended with rice extract, ginseng extract, and sesame seed oil, my skin has looked considerably brighter and more even since using this mask a few times a week. Right after using it my skin has a nice glow.
Exfoliation
Exfoliating your skin is important because it removes all of the dead skin and evens out your texture. Whenever I am having texture issues I use The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel and it also helped with my dark spots. Vitamin C enriched products are great for boosting dull looking skin and helping with an uneven complexion. Remember to NEVER use scrubs for an exfoliant, it will damage your skin and leave you worse off than you were.
Moisturizer
I started to use a moisturizer specifically meant for hyperpigmentation, the Clinique iD Custom-Blend Hydrator Collection. I love this collection because you can tailor your moisturizer to whatever needs you have, because I was dealing with hyperpigmentation and oily skin I used the Oil-Control Gel +Cartridge for Uneven Skin Tone. This combo made sure my oily skin was well hydrated and also evened my tone and brightened my skin. This is definitely my favorite moisturizer and I use it for most of the year.
Sunscreen
If you don’t take anything else from this post, PLEASE take note of this. USE SUNSCREEN EVERYDAY. “But Kyla, Black people don’t need sunscreen,” well that is false. Everyone needs protection from the sun, and the reason your dark spots are not changing at all, or even getting worse is because you are not using sunscreen. The sun is helping to boost your hyperpigmentation and if you do not use sunscreen then all of the other steps you are taking are useless. It does not have to be a super expensive, 70+ SPF sunscreen. I use a Target brand sport sunscreen that is SPF 30 and only once I started using sunscreen did I actually see a huge improvement in my dark spots.
If you deal with dark spots I hope some of these tips helped. Do you have any remedies for hyperpigmentation? Share with us in the comments.
Perfectly Kyla 