How to remove pigmentation. If you suffer from Hyperpigmentation you know how genuinely frustrating it is to try to conceal, lighten or erase the spots and brown patches on your skin.
Hyperpigmentation is essentially a case of your pigment-producing cells being pushed into overdrive by either external factors (typically sun exposure) or internal factors such as hormonal shifts caused by pregnancy, birth control pills, medication or menopause. Any form of Hyperpigmentation will be worsened – sometimes significantly – by sun exposure
Hyperpigmentation may be referred to by a number of names, including brown spots, melasma, age spots, “liver spots”, sun spots, sun freckles, pregnancy mask (melasma). Whether diffuse, as in melasma, or in single concentrated areas such as those in a freckle, hyper pigmentation can often be removed or lightened with light therapies.
Skin gets it’s color, whether light or dark, from melanin. Our skin has a different colour in different areas. There are more melanocytes in darker areas like the neck as compared to lighter areas eg; the face. However the concentration of approximately 1000 to 2000 melanocytes per cubic millimetre is the same for all race groups. So, it does not matter if you are a black skinned person or a pale redhead. you will still have about the same number of melanocytes!
Sun exposure, heat, injury or hormonal changes can all trigger increased melanin production. It is the abnormal increase that causes irregular colour on the skin. Melanin rises to the surface of the skin in response to these triggers but is not seen right away as the cells are produced deeper in the skin and then rise slowly to the surface. This is why you may not see the brown spots until days, weeks, or even months after the cause.
Melanin is a skin protector and is the body’s attempt to stop cell damage from sun or heat. The “tan” that sun worshippers seek is actually the body’s reaction to cell damage. With repeated insult, skin that evenly tans will begin to take on a mottled appearance and then begin showing concentrated dark spots. Our SKYN® solution at our Perth cosmetic clinic can assist you to remove pigmentation.
Taking care of your skin by controlling sun exposure is key.
Sun exposure is the primary cause of facial and body brown spots, age spots, freckles, moles and pre-cancerous actinic keratosis. Preventing sun-induced Hyperpigmentation is a full time process. Hormones, injury and pigmentation from allergic reactions or skin disease such as acne are mostly beyond your control.
Sunscreen, Sunblock, hats and sun-protective clothing are your first line guard against not only unsightly brown patches but also sun damage that could lead to skin cancer.
Sun damage is the culmination of repeated exposure to the sun’s powerful UV rays. UVA rays alter the look and feel of skin, accelerating the aging process and creating discoloration. The result is loss of collagen, wrinkles and discoloration (a.k.a. sun spots, liver spots or old age spots), as well as superficial blood vessels (telangiectasias). Meanwhile, UVB rays (the key source of sunburns) work just as aggressively at damaging the epidermis.
Sunspots (medically known as solar lentigines) are the most common expression of sun damage, and result from an overproduction of melanin as the skin attempts to protect itself from UV light. These flat lesions are tan or brown and appear most frequently on the cheekbones, temples, nose, shoulders, décolleté and hands.
Unprotected exposure to sunlight, especially in the late morning and early afternoon hours (11:00am – 3:00pm)
