Treatments for Pigmentation
Enjoy Even Skin Complexion without Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation is a common skin condition where various parts of your skin become darker due to an increase in melanin. The condition is usually triggered by trauma, sun damage, environmental damage, medications, hormonal changes, acne, or inflammation. For example, age spots, freckles, post-inflammatory acne scars and melasma.
Although it is generally harmless, many people are uncomfortable with it due to its unsightly appearance. There are numerous approaches to treat hyperpigmentation, such as topical creams, chemical peels or laser.
What Causes Hyperpigmentation?
Prolonged sun exposure is probably the common cause of hyperpigmentation due to an increase in melanin production, for example sun spots and age spots.
Inflammation from acne or trauma as well as excessive skin picking can easily trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Various oral or topical medications can induce increased melanin production, for example non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tetracyclines and antimalarials.
Many pregnant women can develop dark skin patches due to hormonal changes.
How to Prevent Hyperpigmentation?
Although there are many effective treatments for hyperpigmentation, it is even better to prevent it in order to avoid dealing with treatment side effects and recovery time.
The best prevention method is to apply sunscreen whenever you have to go outside for an extensive period of time. A sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 is highly recommended by dermatologists.
Also, avoid picking your skin aggressively if you have acne, blackheads, whiteheads, inflammation or irritation. In doing so, you can surely expect to get hyperpigmentation.
Treatments for Hyperpigmentation
Creams & Ingredient
Topical creams are the most common treatment for hyperpigmentation. The three most popular creams are hydroquinone, kojic acid, and tretinoin. Finally, the latest and the most sought-after ingredient is tranexamic acid.
Hydroquinone
Hydroquinone is probably the most popular cream for treating pigmentation problems. It bleaches your skin by reducing the formation of melanin.
However, hydroquinone in high concentration can cause cancer if misused. Therefore, your dermatologist should monitor your entire treatment progress.
Tretinoin
Topical tretinoin is a prescription cream that is derived from vitamin A. It increases the turnover rate of skin cells, thus resulting in the shedding of older skin layers. This leads to collagen production and the reduction of fine lines, wrinkles as well as hyperpigmentation.
It is available in various concentrations such as 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1%. Tretinoin in high concentration can cause side effects such as redness, irritation, increased sun sensitivity, risk of sunburn and skin flaking.
Kojic Acid
Unlike tretinoin, Kojic Acid does not exfoliate your skin, and it is gentler than hydroquinone. It works by inhibiting the formation of tyrosinase, which is an enzyme responsible for producing melanin.
People with sensitive skin can experience side effects such as redness, irritation and burning sensation.
Tranexamic Acid
Tranexamic acid is the latest and the most popular ingredient for treating hyperpigmentation. It is derived from an amino acid called lysine and was originally used for controlling bleeding.
Unlike hydroquinone and tretinoin, it is less irritating and perfectly safe for all skin types and complexions. Tranexamic acid also does not cause exfoliation.
It lightens your skin by interfering with the interaction between pigment-producing cells called melanocytes and skin cells found in the epidermis called keratinocytes.
It also decreases the production of tyrosinase, which is an enzyme responsible for melanin production. Furthermore, tranexamic acid can reduce inflammatory mediators that are responsible for pigment production.
Chemical Peels
If you are not happy with the results from topical creams, then you can also try chemical peels. Chemical peels assist in the exfoliation of skin layers in order to improve fine lines, wrinkles, scars and hyperpigmentation. There are 4 commonly used peels in the market. They are glycolic peel, salicylic acid peel, lactic acid peel and Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) peel.
Peels come in different concentration. Peels at higher concentration usually produce better results. However, you may experience side effects such as redness, dryness, swelling and discomfort. On some rare occasions, hyper or hypopigmentation can occur.
Recovery time of 7 to 14 days is quite common as well. For in-depth information on chemical peels, you can read What are Chemical Peels.
Laser Treatment
If you are unsatisfied with creams and peels, then you can look into laser treatments. However, laser treatments are more expensive, and you can expect noticeable results with just a few procedures.
Lasers can target a multitude of skin problems such as fine lines, wrinkles, scars, sun damage, photo-aging, age spots, freckles, melasma and hyperpigmentation.
Unlike topical creams and chemical peels, Lasers treat hyperpigmentation by heating up and breaking down your skin pigments without harming the surrounding area. Your treated skin then begins to flake off, thus shedding off melanin and lightening your skin.
Redness and discomfort may occur due to skin sensitivity and treatment intensity, but they will usually subside within several days.
The commonly used lasers in the clinic are Picosecond, YAG, Fractional and BBL. For in-depth information on laser treatment, please read Laser Treatment for Pigmentation.
Microdermabrasion
Unlike the previously mentioned treatments, microdermabrasion improves your skin complexion via exfoliation of the top skin layer by spraying very fine crystals onto the treatment area. The treatment is comparable to sandblasting.
Microdermabrasion procedure is usually not painful. Treatment time is about an hour long. Although redness and mild inflammation may occur, they normally subside within several days.
Multiple treatments are recommended to see desirable results. For in-depth information, please read What is Microdermabrasion.
Mesotherapy
Mesotherapy is another innovative treatment in which a mixture of powerful ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, peptides, antioxidants as well as pigment inhibitors is injected into your skin.
As a result, your skin becomes lightened without the usual side effects of redness and irritation that are commonly associated with creams, peels and lasers. For in-depth information, please read What is Mesotherapy.
Conclusion
Hyperpigmentation is a common problem that affects everyone regardless of gender and age. Although there are numerous treatments available today, results vary from person to person. It is best to consult a licensed dermatologist to seek out the best solution for your skin condition.