Now that we’re living in an age of brightening products (is there a brand that hasn’t come up with some sort of magical lightening or glow-intensifying product in the last year and half?) it seems like high time to discuss at least part of what those products are trying to correct. So settle in kids, let’s talk about hyperpigmentation. First a definition (or a few): hyperpigmentation is caused when melanin (what gives our hair and skin color) is overproduced in certain spots on the skin, causing them to look darker than your natural skin tone. There are a couple of common causes—age spots on skin that is often exposed to the sun; melasma, often as a result from birth control hormones or pregnancy; and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which happens after a pimple, bug bite, or other trauma to the skin once it heals and leaves a mark behind. The most misunderstood idea about hyperpigmentation is that it melts away instead of coming up and out,” says Dayle Breault, of Goddess of Skin and facialist to Tracee Ellis Ross, Lenny Kravitz (plus Zoë and Lisa Bonet) and Britt Morgan Saks.
“People think it’s going to fade—which it will do—but it won’t do that without scrubbing away the cells and working on it. And sometimes it’ll get darker before it gets lighter,” As with the night, it seems. When thinking about hyperpigmentation, it's best to break it down into two categories: prevention and treatment. As always, knowledge is power. It goes without saying, but we'll type it anyway: Stop picking at your skin and don't just apply sunscreen—remember to reapply every two hours. Dayle continues that people of color also have to be particularly careful when it comes to hyperpigmentation. “Though black skin would appear thicker and stronger than Caucasian skin, it’s actually much thinner and much more sensitive,” she says. “So you have to be much more careful around heat, with the sun, with any type of extractions, or anything that could make a change in the epidermis.” Men have to be especially careful of ingrown hairs on their face and women with facials.
“Even a hot yoga class or some time in a sauna can bring out pigment,” Dayle warns. “And as soon as you put a chemical lightener on your skin, you become a magnet for the sun. You have to wear a hat.” Adding in an antioxidant or vitamin C serum doesn't hurt either—we're fans of the newly released 111Skin Space Antioxidant Booster. First things first, scrub, as Dayle mentioned earlier. It doesn't have to be fancy, and it doesn't have to be chemical. Dayle recommends something physical—her Bonafide Scrub has a mix of granules (made from amber and microdermabrasion crystals) and is safe enough for sensitive skin too. If you’re an ingredient-list reader, be on the lookout for hydroquinone. Often used as a prescription-strength brightener, it’s available over the counter in lower—though still powerful—percentages. “You have to be careful with it,” Dayle says. “You can’t use it if you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant—and you can only use it for six weeks at a time, and then you have to get off of it.
It’s that toxic…but it works.” Murad's Post-Acne Spot Lightening Gel has 2 percent hydroquinone, and while the directions instruct on massaging it over your whole face and neck, Dayle recommends using any product along these lines just as a spot treatment. Otherwise, you'll bleach out the rest of the skin and the spots will continue to look dark in comparison. As an alternative, SkinCeuticals' Advanced Pigment Corrector is hydroquinone-free (it's got salicylic acid and hydroxyphenoxy propionic acid instead). On the higher end, there's the RéVive Perfectif Even Skin Tone Serum that illuminates the face and is simply a dream to swipe on for $325 a pop. On the natural side of things, Dayle now works with willow bark and licorice root extracts when formulating her products for a natural lightening solution. The Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser capitalizes on strawberry fruit extract and hydrolyzed wheat protein for some moderate complexion control that you don't have worry about concentrating on a specific spot.
For more serious cases, there's chemical peels, lasers, and microneedling (which Dayle calls “the poor man's Fraxel"). They can help renew cells faster and reveal non-hyperpigmented skin. Microneedling in particular also allows product to go deeper in to the skin, as opposed to simply sitting on top. However, these are all best left to the professionals, so consult your dermatologist if considering. Then there’s the most frustrating, but often very reliable, cure of patience. Spots caused by trauma—say, a badly done home extraction—can go away on their own. You might just have to give it a year—or three.Now that I am a pushing-30-grown-up-woman-child, it's high time I get my nutrition right. I've been trying to binge on vitamin-rich veggies at least once a week, but the rest of my days belong to leftover spaghetti, or something equally glutinous. Every now and again I remember to pop a multivitamin. But forget to put vitamins in my skincare? I’m like a Catholic school nun with that stuff, the discipline evident in the results.
Sure, the best way to intake vitamins is by eating them in food, but they can do wonders on top of your skin, too. I’ve dabbled in many, but the ones that work the best for me are Vitamins C, E, and D (and sometimes A!). This one is my main jam. You’ll find it in most brightening, free radical-fighting, tone evening, and even sunburn-alleviating skin care products. I have some dark spots leftover from picking at zits and some latent freckles forming on my cheeks, except they don’t look like freckles so much as they do halfway-erased marker spots (either be there or don’t, freckles, but pick one!) so I generally tend to look for products that will brighten or even my skin tone. Vitamin C, aka L-Ascorbic acid, works in three ways, mostly. 1. It’s an effective antioxidant. Antioxidants put free radicals in a choke hold until they pass out. 2. It inhibits melanin production. Melanin is basically your skin’s natural sun protection; it’s what makes you tan in the sun. You might be thinking, Wait, doesn’t darkening your skin give you more sun protection?
True, but melanin can also breed dark spots, aka age spots. Too much UV radiation damages your melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, causing them to overproduce. Hence, my half-assed freckles.3. L-ascorbic acid boosts collagen synthesis. This means your face can remain cherubically sproing-y for longer. It’s not anti-aging, per se, but collagen is like a sports bra for your skin. L-ascorbic acid is a strong substance when topically applied (it is an acid, after all) and not easily stabilized, which is why serums are usually expensive. You can, however, very easily make your own Vitamin C serum, which I’ve done after reading Wendy’s story. It does break down and oxidize pretty quickly, though, so you have to keep sharp about storage (in the fridge/no sunlight!) and remake the thing every few days. Applying oxidized vitamin C topically can do more harm than good, so this DIY isn’t for lazies. That said, my DIY serum (vitamin C powder + rose water + glycerin) had lackluster results so I turned to pro measures, trying out Environ Evenescence C-Boost Cream.
After using it for a month under my day and nighttime moisturizers, I noticed a difference in the texture of my skin--it was smoother and not as patchy in the usual dry places. The brightening effects weren’t like someone turned on a light, but I liked the way my skin was looking. I’ve been a longtime user of rose hip oil. It’s not that expensive, depending on where you get it (that's Whole Foods for me), it absorbs into the skin without making you feel greasy, and it does wonders for skin texture, tone, and pigmentation. And what do you know, it’s full of Vitamin C! I got my hands on some of Mario Badescu’s Rose Hip Mask, as well as their Vitamin C Serum. The serum had the same scent as the one I made at home--a slight metallic odor. I guess that’s how you know it’s chock-full of L-ascorbic acid, huh?AMG loves Retin-A, and so do I. The A in Retin-A is for Vitamin A, which is a good defense in the fight against acne and aging. Skin is actually very receptive to retinoids, which are a class of chemical compounds chemically related to Vitamin A. Retinoids bond to your skin receptors and peel off the top layer of skin, which is good for tone balancing, and they thicken the layers of skin below to smooth out (and actually remove) wrinkles.
Retinoids also boost the production of collagen, which is probably what Charlize Theron sucked out of that fair peasant Lily Cole in Snow White And The Huntsman.Vitamin A can have some very undesirable side effects, though, the most dangerous one being sunlight sensitivity. When it peels off the top layers of your skin (chemical exfoliator, anyone?), it takes your natural SPF with it. Most treatments with vitamin A are for nighttime use only. Vitamin A’s benefits aren’t solely exclusive to the acne/wrinkle besieged. It helps normalize blood flow to the skin and helps improve hydration around skin cells, so rosacea-sufferers can benefit from some topical (and edible) vitamin A. It’s one of the strongest vitamins for repairing cellular structure in your skin, so it really wouldn’t hurt to up your Vitamin A intake in general. I’m not throwing down in the game of anti-aging JUST yet (still in denial) so I keep my vitamin A application pretty light. Seaweed has tons of great vitamins and minerals that are skin-friendly, a biggie being Vitamin A.
After much prodding from other xoVain writers who rave about MB products, I’ve started using Mario Badescu’s Seaweed Night Cream. It’s a light, non-oily formula for a night cream, and it's full of seaweed-y vitamin A. Go skin cells, REPAIR! I feel like everyone I know is talking about how deeply Vitamin D deficient they are--mostly due to over-SPFing and spending hours indoors binge-watching Orange is the New Black. FYI to all you Boo Radleys: Vitamin D is only produced in the skin via sun exposure. So either get off the couch or load up on vitamin D-rich foods or supplements. Aside from being crucial for bone health and immune system functions, vitamin D repairs skin cells, boosts collagen and elasticity, and lessens lines and dark spots. People with serious vitamin D deficiencies will generally complain of a dull, sallow complexion.There are two kinds of Vitamin D: The plant-sourced kind, ergocalciferol (D2), and the “natural” sunlight-conjured kind, cholecalciferol (D3).
D2 is the stuff you’ll find in topically applied treatments. But while popping a Vitamin D supplement benefits your organs and such, it doesn't work as hard on bettering your skin. Meanwhile, the topical stuff won't raise vitamin D levels in your body. So a combination of both is a good move. Vitamin E is a common skin care supplement. My mother always keeps a bottle of gel capsules in her cabinet; she pricks the pill and rubs the goo around her eyes. The reason Vitamin E is so popular in skin care is because it’s a pretty kick-ass antioxidant. Remember how much we hate free radicals? Vitamin C is a kick-ass antioxidant, and it's great for anti-inflammatory skin woes, especially UV damage. Topical application has been found to be effective for photo-protection of skin (aka protection from UV radiation). It’s not all that great as a form of sun protection, though, because molecules in the Vitamin E family are able to absorb UVA rays, but not UVB rays.Lots of ointments that promise scar-disappearing properties contain vitamin E.
Here's the truth: It doesn't reduce scar tissue, but it's great at rejuvenating skin cells to help heal cuts and wounds. There aren’t many studies that claim that Vitamin E is an all-powerful ointment, but there are tons of studies stating that the alpha-tocopherol in vitamin E decreases the time it takes for a wound to close.Personally, whenever I have a boo-boo, a bit of Neosporin with vitamin E helps speed the healing time. Straight up vitamin E oil also softens the skin to make hard scar tissue less noticeable. You can find vitamin E in capsule form at any drugstore, or you can buy the straight oil, which is less expensive at about $10 per two-ounce bottle. Getting all of your vitamins and minerals is important, but since there are some vitamins that work better when slathered on your face as opposed to ingested in a salad, it’s best to use them accordingly. I’m not saying to ditch your meal plans and food pyramids, but now you can go ahead and share the wealth with your face.