4 different solutions for 4 different types of hyperpigmentation

Our skin changes as we age anyway and throw hormonal and environmental changes into the mix plus stress and lifestyle factors. It’s no surprise that we can see evidence of the effect of these factors on our skin. What worked on your skin 10 years ago may not be needed now because what you see when you look in the mirror is different. Hyperpigmentation is one of the skin issues that we can experience as we age. There are different causes of hyperpigmentation and thankfully, lots of different solutions.

What types of hyperpigmentation occur on our skin?

You can get pigmentation on your skin from birth, birthmarks, freckles, but these are part of your natural skin colour. This type of pigmentation is not hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation is pigmentation on your skin that has developed because it has been triggered by another factor. The main triggers of hyperpigmentation are UV exposure hormones, pollution and inflammation.

Through life, you can then develop darker spots or patches on your skin. These can be caused by a number of different factors. The most common cause of dark spots is the sun. This type of hyperpigmentation is often referred to as sunspots. When your skin tans, that's a direct pigment response to UV exposure. The dark spots that develop from UV exposure often occur in smaller areas or patches on your face.

Then there is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is where skin pigment is produced due to injury and irritation. Think of a breakout and the pigmented mark that’s left behind after the spot clears. Depending on your skin type, you can be left with a post-breakout mark for weeks after your breakout heals. Pollution can cause hyperpigmentation and so can our hormones. Think of pregnancy, some women experience hormonal pigmentation called melasma. This often occurs in the centre of the face and is known as the pregnancy mask.

So what happens at the cell level in our skin?

Your skin produces a protein called melanin and production of this goes into overdrive by certain triggers. The leading trigger is exposure to UV rays. Melanin is actually designed to protect our skin cells from within. Melanin forms like a sun umbrella over the nucleus in the skin cells, this a form of self defence. The melanin umbrella is trying to protect cellular DNA from damage. If cell DNA is damaged this can lead to mutations and this is what happens with skin cancer development. Inflammation and hormones can also cause pigmentation because they influence the cell that produces our melanin, telling that cell to make more. This is what causes darker spots or patches of skin in certain areas.

I have hyperpigmentation, what is the best solution for my skin?

Dark spots

Dark spots are often circular spots with irregular edges, similar to freckles but usually bigger. They are common as we get older and result from years of UV exposure. They can be found in clusters in sun exposed areas. You can also have bigger areas of dark spots that have been caused by hormonal pigmentation. The best solution for dark spots is Dermalogica PowerBright Dark Spot Serum. Dermalogica PowerBright Dark Spot Serum uses a combination of Hexylresorcinal and Niacinamide. These ingredients work together to reduce excess pigment in the skin. It also contains Shiitake Mushroom, Blackcurrant Oil and Peony Flower to help brighten the skin and skin shielding actives protect against pollution-induced dark spots.

PowerBright Dark Spot Serum is a creamy serum that feels incredibly hydrating on the skin and the light-diffusing technology begins to balance the appearance of uneven pigmentation within days. Clinical study results have found that PowerBright Dark Spot Serum starts fading dark spots in just one week, and over 4 to 8 weeks, reduces the size and number of dark spots whilst boosting skin’s luminosity.

There is such a buzz at the moment in the skincare community about this fabulous new serum!

PowerBright Dark Spot SerumStart fading the appearance of dark spots within daysSkin30ml: £99.00

Post breakout marks

A post breakout mark is literally a mark where the spot was once the spot has gone. For pale skin it can look red/purple making it look like the spot’s still there. These post -breakout marks can appear darker in darker skin tones. The best solution for this type of hyperpigmentation is Dermalogica Age Bright Spot Fader.

Age Bright Spot Fader contains similar pigment fighting ingredients as Dark Spot Serum but also contains Salicylic Acid to clear the spot. The best thing to do is to start using Age Bright Spot Fader as soon as the spot appears, twice a day until thespot heals. By using Age Bright Spot Fader straight away, you should find that any post breakout mark you are left with should be less and the spot should heal quicker. Age Bright Spot Fader is best used on individual spots.

Everyone should have this on their shelf for those emergency spot situations!

There is such a buzz at the moment in the skincare community about this fabulous new serum!

Active Clearing® AGE Bright Spot FaderBrightening spot treatmentSkin15ml: £36.00

Clearer brighter skin

Some of us don’t just get the odd spot that Age Bright Spot Fader could sort out, instead, we may have larger areas of breakouts. This type of adult acne is common across the chin and jaw. You may also have breakouts and marks across your lower cheeks. Again these wider spread breakouts can cause red/purple or brown to black marks depending on your base skin tone.

The best solution for this type of hyperpigmentation is Dermalogica Age Bright Clearing Serum. Age Bright Clearing Serum contains a pigment fighting active Niacinamide, to target the marks but also contains Salicylic Acid to clear the active breakouts. Age Bright Clearing Serum is a super hydrating serum so it is perfect for using on larger areas of the skin. Adult skins are usually more dehydrated and inflamed so will benefit from regular use of a serum like this. Simply apply a few drops of Age Bright Clearing Serum to clean skin 1-2 a day to clear and prevent breakouts and minimise pigmentation/scarring.

You will notice the benefit of Age Bright Clearing Serum with regular use.

Active Clearing® AGE Bright Clearing Serumbrightening clearing serumSkin30ml: £75.00

Uneven skin tone, dull skin

As part of the natural ageing process, as we lose collagen in our skin. Collagen is actually a light reflector so a lack of collagen in our skin can make it look dull. Also, our skin becomes drier and pigment production naturally becomes more uneven as we age. As a result, we can end up with an uneven skin tone. The best solution for this type of hyperpigmentation is Dermalogica Biolumin C serum, a vitamin C serum. For general brightening, Vitamin C is amazing! Biolumin C serum uses ultra-stable forms of Vitamin C, along with skin brightening Lactic Acid and peptides to boost collagen to firm the skin.

We love Biolumin C serum at Jersey Beauty. It really does brighten the skin and even out skin tone.

AGE Smart® BioLumin-C Serumbrightening vitamin c serumView All30ml: £96.00

If you want to find out more, in this video, Jen from Jersey Beauty chats with Victoria from Dermalogica all about hyperpigmentation problems and solutions.

The great thing is, there really are solutions for different issues you may have with areas of your skin and pigmentation that you may be seeing. Investing time and effort into using a product to target your specific skin concern really will pay off!