What is pigmentation?
Pigmentation, or hyperpigmentation, also referred to as dark spots, age spots and sun spots, are uneven brown patches that occur on the face, hands, décolletage and shoulders. These areas of discoloration age us considerably.
What causes pigmentation?
Areas of irregular pigmentation are caused by sun exposure, specifically exposure to the UVA rays that penetrate deep into the skin to cause ageing.
When lecture universal, consultant dermatologist Dr Nick Lowe explained that “UVA stimulates the pigment cells to manufacture the pigment called Melanin. this is often liable for tanning and also unwanted dark patches”.
Sun spots, he says, can take anywhere between 10 and 20 years to develop, so albeit you’re trying your best to guard your skin now, you’ll start to note those caused once you were a toddler.
In addition to sun exposure, the pill and pregnancy also can trigger pigmentation in young women, leading to further patchy dark spots.
How to prevent pigmentation
The good thanks to prevent future pigmentation is, of course, to wear a high factor UVA and UVB shielding sunscreen. Often, the sunscreen in regular foundation isn’t high enough to effectively protect the skin, so adding a better factor is advisable. also as protecting your skin from sun exposure with sunscreen, limiting the time that you simply actually spend within the sun may be a necessary step to stop further skin damage.
A further weapon within the fight against pigmentation is that the antioxidant – the all-important molecule that inhibits the oxidation within the tissue that causes ageing. Antioxidants mop up the free radicals that act like vandals within the skin. Free radicals are activated by sun exposure, or environmental pollutants like cigarette smoke, also as alcohol and sugars in our diets, Antioxidants are important during a healthy diet found in foods like fruits and vegetables, also as in quality serums and moisturisers, the antioxidant isn’t to be underestimated in its ability to stop fight aging and sun damage.
The best treatments available
There are a variety of treatments which may be helpful, which include prescription skin care, chemical peels and medical needling. The best treatment for your pigmentation will depend considerably on your age, life style and therefore the nature and extent of your pigmentation. Expert assessment, diagnosis and advice are vital if the treatment goes to achieve success for you.
For most, whilst treatments can deliver good results, they are doing not provide a cure for the underlying cause and every one would require you to still protect your skin from the sun and use maintenance products to stay further pigmentation cornered.
Laser or intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment are a well-liked and well-established treatment option for pigmentation. Practitioners will use a controlled pulse and wave length of sunshine energy to focus on the brown pigment and shatter it, the cells recover and therefore the pigment is disposed of by the body.
The treatment has been described by patients as like ‘hot fat spitting’ or ‘elastic bands flicking’, therefore the use of cooling gels and sprays can help with any discomfort.
Laser and IPL can’t be used on tanned skins or darker skin types, a series of treatments could also be necessary and therefore the pigment may appear darker before it improves.
For more information on laser and IPL treatment, including after effects and after care, make certain to download the Save Face factsheet.
