Fortunately for all of us, companies have stepped up their efforts on the hyperpigmentation front, giving us more options than ever before to erase dark spots.
But do they work?
We have spoken to the experts to discover what treatment breakthroughs have been made, and set a couple of products through our very own road test.
Read onto discover which method works best for you.
Best Dark Spot Treatment--Cause
We mainly suffered from postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), that is discoloration triggered by injuries or irritation.
"Regardless of what color you are, everyone has the same number of pigment cells, known as melanocytes," describes board licensed dermatologist Cheryl M.
Burgess, M.D., founder of the Center for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery in Washington, D.C.
"What makes our color different is the little globs of pigment within the melanocytes, that are known as melanosomes.
The bigger and much more numerous they're, the darker the skin is." And also the more prone you're to discoloration issues.
Best Dark Spot Treatment--Hydroquinone
However questionable hydroquinone might be-an unwanted effect could be a light halo ring that forms during spot treatments or an adverse reaction leading to more darkened skin-our experts still refer to it as the gold standard treatment for PIH.
"No long-term unwanted effects have been verified,states Jeanine Downie, M.D., a dermatologist in Montclair, NJ.
"And such things as the halo occur with improper application."
Frequent follow-ups along with a limit on how long someone is on the hydroquinone regimen help to ensure safety.
Miami-based dermatologist Andrea Trowers, M.D., uses formulations of eight to ten percent to attain significant results in a shorter time period:
"I typically use compounded formulations [custom-made strengths ordered by a physician], which let me use more powerful strength of hydroquinone than can be found in a regular pharmacy."
Best Dark Spot Treatment--Titanium Dioxide
SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion Ultra violet Defense SPF 50
Sunscreen: "It ought to have a physical blocker for example micronized zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide," describes Trowers.
But how about the ashy appearance it leaves? "Now you will find micronized options where the physical blockers are ground into fine particles, reducing that white cast and giving better coverage," notes Trowers.
Certainly one of her favorites for brown skin is SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion Ultra violet Defense SPF 50 ($32, skinceuticals.com).
Best Dark Spot Treatment--What's New?
IN products: Most remedies that lighten skin work by disturbing the production of melanin.
What this means is obstructing tyrosinase, the melanin-creating enzyme. However it works out that all melanin isn't the same.
"Eumelanin can be found in darker skins and pheomelanin can be found in fair skin," describes Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemistry expert at beautysage.com. A difference may be the enzyme lignin peroxidase.
Initially accustomed to lighten wood for paper production, it's derived naturally from a kind of fungus or mushroom.
The main difference with this particular component is how it affects hyperpigmentation: It targets and breaks down existing eumelanin rather than just preventing future production.
The enzyme could do miracles for existing marks. Presently it's in Luminaze and trademarked as Melanozyme within the Elure lines of lighteners.
Others also have switched to mushrooms for achievement.
The songyi mushroom has been utilized in Asia for hundreds of years like a skin lightener, and today its extract is incorporated in the new Palmer's Eventone skincare line.
Shinto All Evens Out products use beta glucans, present in mushrooms, to revitalize skin cells.
Lignin peroxidase is a fungal enzyme which has a key role in the ligninolytic cycle, the process by which the structural component of plant walls, lignin, is degraded. lignin peroxidase
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