Tips to Reduce Hyperpigmentation
There are many ways in which hyperpigmentation can occur with the most common stemming from sun exposure and inflammation. With a busy summer schedule ahead of us we thought it best to give you our go-to tips to reduce the potential hyperpigmentation before it starts.
Protect Yourself from Sun Exposure
Sun protection is your biggest advocate to avoid hyperpigmentation from UV damage. Prioritize protective clothing when you know you'll have more time outside and apply sunblock to skin before leaving for the day and reapply midday or as activities require.
We don't recommend sleeping in your SPF, so if your daily moisturizer is a 2-in-1 with sun protection we recommend finding a nighttime hydrator to use in place of your morning SPF product. Throughout the years we find sleeping in chemical or physical SPF products leads to disruption in skin health with breakouts at the forefront. For more guidance on what we recommend, see our blog on Sun Care and SPF Recommendations.
Keep "Picking" Skin to a Minimum
If you're experiencing a breakout it's easy to want to express the buildup in pores but the action of pinching in order to diminish the signs of open and closed comedones can lead to hyperpigmentation. Oftentimes skin receives the pressure you use to pinch skin as a trauma and it can result in Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH). This can be why when you've expressed the buildup of a whitehead the mark may remain on skin long after the pimple has cleared.
PIH is when inflammation triggers excess melanin production in the layers of skin. It's important to note that inflammation can be caused by several factors, but the most common for skin are irritation, infection, excess heat and injury. For epidermal PIH, discoloration can diminish within weeks or months as the epidermis is the superficial layer of skin that is constantly renewing. When PIH affects the dermis this discoloration may find a more permanent home in the skin as PIH is interacting with a deeper layer of skin and it is not a topical discoloration. When the dermis is affected it is likely that professional treatments may be necessary.
Support Skin
Providing skin with antioxidants and lipids can help skin remain healthy and able to renew properly resulting in balanced skin that is able to combat breakouts and hyperpigmentation. We have listed our top products to help diminish hyperpigmentation below due to their exfoliating properties, powerful herbal constituents, antioxidants and nourishing lipids.
Licorice root is known as a topical tyrosinase inhibitor and has been proven to decrease the formation of hyperpigmentation and we've specifically formulated our Bright Facial Mask with this in mind. By formulating our Bright mask with this herb it makes for an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich product.
Featuring organic galangal root, this formulation naturally contains powerful enzymes, vitamin C and antioxidant activity found to combat oxidative stressors known to help reduce premature aging and hyperpigmentation. Galangal root is naturally stimulating and research has shown it having an effective anti-tyrosinase and anti-melonase properties.
Both the Bright and Pigmentation Facial Masks are great exfoliants for the face and can also be utilized if hyperpigmentation is present on your shoulders or back.
Like a drink for skin. This fully organic formulation delivers nutrient dense oils to assist in improving moisture retention and collagen production while diminishing the appearance of hyperpigmentation and skin redness. We recommend our sample size of our best seller for easy travel.
For hyperpigmentation found on the body we recommend weekly exfoliation with one of our Sugar Scrubs and following with your preference of hydrator. We are particularly fond of the Coconut & Lavender Baby Moisturizer for dehydrated, sensitive skin.