Pigmentation and uneven skin tone is an extremely complex skin concern and our day-to-day environment poses many factors in the appearance of dark spots. Many of us feel these dark spots and our uneven skin tone makes us 'appear' older and to give our skin a more even complexion, we have been known to use either harsh chemicals or makeup (or both) to treat this concern. Even skin tone is something we want to achieve and even maintain on our skin.
Keeping in mind that every skin is unique and factors will differ from person to person, let's take you through first, the types of dark spots you may see on your own skin and what factors are the biggest contributors to dark spots.
3 types of dark spots we can see on our face
Melanin is a natural skin pigment and formed by special skin cells called melanocytes. Depending on the amount of melanin you have, will depend on what colour hair, skin and eye colour you have. Everyone has the same number of melanocytes, however some people make more melanin than others. So, for those of you with blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes, you have less melanin in your skin than if you have dark hair, darker skin tone and brown eyes for example.
To throw another spanner in the works, our bodies can overproduce melanin which is what results in these dark spots and they can appear in multiple ways:
1. Melasma
Melasma is caused by hormonal changes that impact the production of melanin. These changes often develop during pregnancy or when using birth control and mainly appear on the forehead, cheeks and upper lip. These dark spots often look like patches or a mask.
Treating melasma can be difficult as hormones are physiological and influence the skin 24 hours a day
2. Sun Spots
The most common type of dark spots and related to overexposure to UV rays over time. They generally appear as dark spots on areas that are typically exposed to the sun eg hands, face, neck and chest.
SPF is a must every-single-day of the year to protect us from the harmful UV rays.
3. Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
This type of dark spot is a result of inflammation or injury to the skin eg acne. When a breakout has healed, the dark spot that is commonly left behind is what we call post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Susceptibility to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation does increase with age because our cell turnover slows down and it takes longer for these dark spots to move to the surface of the skin
3 main causes of dark spots?
1. UV Rays
Unprotected sun exposure is the best-known trigger for melanin production and the leading cause of dark spots on the skin. Much of the hyperpigmentation we treat is a result of sun exposure and the good news is, it can be the easiest to treat!
2.Pollution
{Pollutant particles are so tiny, they are small than the size of our pores and these particles become lodged in the skins deeper structures. This causes the surrounding tissue to oxidise and leads to free-radial damage and triggering an inflammatory response that leads to hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
2. Free Radicals
These are highly reactive molecules that cause damage to our skin in so many ways and accelerate the ageing process. These free radicals can overstimulate melanocytes resulting in hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
The Dark Spot Corrector You Need To Try Right Now
This is an advanced serum that begins to diminish the appearance of uneven pigmentation fast, and keeps working to even skin tone over time.
- Light-Diffusing Technology using Titanium Dioxide and a film-forming polymer begins to balance the appearance of uneven pigmentation within days
- Niacinamide and Hexylresorcinol help fade dark spots, for brighter, more even-tones skin
- Shitake Mushroom brightens skin
- Black Currant Oil and Peony flower smoothes and delivers antioxidant benefits
- Skin-shielding actives smoothes and delivers antioxidant benefits
To use:
- Each morning after cleansing and toning, apply one pump. Allow one minute for product absorption.
About the Author
My name is Sarah and I am the founder of GLO Skin Body. With over 17 years experience, I believe a professional relationship with your skin therapist is crucial in helping you to achieve your skin care goals and to ensure your skin is always looking and feeling its best. Whether it's in person or through our online support, Im here to guide and support you towards your healthiest skin ever.
On a personal note, I am a Mum of 3 so I understand completely the juggles and balancing of life and family commitments . My goal is to help everyone have an effective and enjoyable home care routine that gets you the results you want...no matter how busy you are!
