If you ask people what they're concerned with when it comes to their skin, the usual answer is acne or winkles. For some reason, at least in America, this 3rd skin problem doesn't seem like an issue until it is too late. In Asia, wrinkles aren't as big a problem as hyperpigmentation. Wrinkles make you look wise. Hyperpigmentation makes you look old.
What is hyperpigmentation? It's basically the excess of brown pigment in your skin. They can range in size from a tiny pin prick to the size of a quarter or even larger.
What causes hyperpigmentation? The sun and UV light is a huge cause as well as acne or cuts/abrasions that have healed. The older you get the more prone you are to hyperpigmentation, but because of the popularity of sun and indoor tanning, people as young as 20 can be affected.
Freckles, age spots, sun spots, and "acne scars" are all hyperpigmentation. Freckles and age spots are usually permanent but can be lightened. Brownish red spots left from acne (not scars) usually fade away but can take months to a year to completely heal (depending on the severity of the acne).
"acne scars"
I am a victim of hyperpigmentation. My skin was always clear during my teen years but when I hit 21, my skin went haywire. I had painful cystic acne and little white bumps (milia) on my cheeks and I didn't know how to cope so I became a picker. I picked at my zits (ewww, I know... gross) and when they healed, I was left with brown spots all over my cheeks. On top of that, 3 sun spots appeared under my eyes out of nowhere when I was about 22. I was sooo miserable... I had to do something! So I had a mission: get rid of the spots and prevent new ones from appearing!
It's been 2 years now and I am happy to say that my skin (although still not perfect) is clearer than ever and you will know my secret to clear, even-toned skin.
(You're SO welcome!)
----------
First of all, I needed to clear my acne. You can refer to My Beauty Essentials post for information on how I keep my skin clear.
Next, I had to clear my hyperpigmentation. Laser, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion all aid in treating hyperpigmentation but they are expensive. I had to find topical creams or serums. I researched and found that these were the key ingredients I needed to look for: hydroquinone, retinol, and alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid.
Hydroquinone is a skin lightener and is applied directly on to the brown spots. From my experience, it's not a useful ingredient unless you are working with larger areas of the skin. My brown spots were pretty small so after a couple weeks, I noticed the hydroquinone lightened the skin around my spots - making them appear more visible. Using a cotton swab to apply just made it tedious and annoying.
Retinol is a form of vitamin A and it's used for many reasons: it clears acne, exfoliates your skin, clears hyperpigmentation, AND smooths out wrinkles. Yes, it is a miracle isn't it? But it can be quite drying for most people and harsh for sensitive skin. Retinol used to be prescribed only but now drugstore brands are carrying them such as RoC, Neutrogena, Olay, etc. The drugstore brands have a smaller percentage of retinol than prescription brands. If you are in the market for retinol, I recommend Neutrogena's Ageless Intensives Tone Correcting Concentrated Serum. The texture of it is very light and isn't harsh on my sensitive skin. The price is pretty inexpensive (less than $20) and is a great deal compared to higher end brands. I do recommend using sunscreen to protect the skin when using this product, as the skin is extra sensitive to the sun light.
Neutrogena Tone Correcting Concentrated Serum
Glycolic acid is a skin exfoliant that dissolves old, dead skin and allows new skin to appear at the surface. Because of this action, old skin with dark spots slowly fades away as new skin resurfaces. Glycolic acid also smooths out the roughness in skin texture and reduces acne. This product is much like salicylic acid (a beta hydroxy acid) but stronger so it must be used with extra care. Sunscreen is also an absolute must when using this product. If you're interested in using glycolic acid, I recommend Peter Thomas Roth's AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel. This product really smoothed out my skin and I definitely noticed my skin clearing up.
Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel
----------
Here are 2 other products that helped my hyperpigmentation...
Most pimples are caused by bacteria. So instead of spot treating my pimples with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, I used an antiseptic spray. I sprayed Brave Soldier First Defense Spray onto a cotton swab and dabbed it on all my pimples and let it air dry. Especially, if I had to pop a pimple or squeeze out a whitehead (I don't recommend it but like I said... I was a picker) I always used this spray afterward and it healed my pimples much faster than if I let it heal without any treatment. This spray has all natural ingredients that work sooo well. This really helped prevent hyperpigmentation on my skin by healing pimples and infections.
Brave Soldier First Defense Antiseptic Spray
When I was done using my Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel, I decided to try something different. I've seen ads of Clinique's Even Better Skin Tone Corrector and I decided to give it a try. I was so satisfied with it that I had to buy another one when I ran out! This product lightened my dark spots but it didn't lighten my skin around it (like hydroquinone did) which was sooo amazing because I hated looking like a pale ghost. Although this product took a long time to work, it was definitely worth the wait because a month or 2 later, I noticed my biggest dark spot on my right cheek had faded quite a lot. Clinique also has a stronger version of this product (Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector) which I have never used but I'm sure works just as well.
Cinique Even Better Skin Tone Corrector
----------
I hope all this information was very helpful for you and that it gives you some ideas on what to do for your hyperpigmentation. Just remember, these products worked well for me but everyone's skin is different so some of these products may not work well for you. Everyone must go through trial and error to find the right product. No matter what you do, wear sunscreen! It is the biggest preventer of dark spots!
Good luck and if you have any questions please comment below. :)
