Pigmentation Explained

know your skin type

All skin care professionals will refer to the FitzPatrick skin type scale in order to begin assessing your skin, knowing your skin type is the foundation to then understanding how the internal foundations of your skin are built. This is particularly important with pigmentation as darker skin types, in general, are more susceptible to hyperpigmentation than lighter skin types because their skin naturally contains more melanin whereas lighter skin types are more likely to suffer with epidermal pigmentation such as hormonal and trauma.

To understand your pigmentation you must first understand your skin.

Below is the FitzPatrick skin type scale, read through and find yours.

What is hyperpigmentation?

Hyperpigmentation is a term used to describe discolouration on the skin or abnormal darkening of the skin. It is an overproduction of melanin from the melanocytes, and that travels its way up to the surface of the skin where you see that discolouration. Melanin protects skin cells and their DNA identity by absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Melanin is produced as a response to UV radiation or trauma in order to form a protective shield over the skin cells to prevent damage to the cell DNA and delay skin ageing.

Causes

UV Damage | Hormonal imbalances and medication | Trauma

There are several causes of hyperpigmentation, one of the biggest being UV damage, often sun damage is accumulated in early years can start to surface many years later. Melanocytes produces too much melanin in order to form protection of skin cell, resulting in dark pigment on the skin surface.

Hormonal imbalances and medications can lead to spikes in oestrogen levels causing a condition known as melasma, this results in larger areas of skin to darken.

Many women notice flat, dark patches of skin developing during their pregnancy or after starting the contraceptive pill.

Melasma is often superficial; epidermal. Once oestrogen levels have been rectified it can fade, but left untreated this can take a longer length of time to fade.

Trauma is also a trigger for pigmentation, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation can occur after chemical peels, laser and skin injury. The increase of melanin systemisis is the skin’s natural healing response to any injury, FitzPatrick skin types 4 - 6 are more susceptible due to the increased melanin. As the inflammation subsides, the skin can often produce too much melanin causing the formerly-damaged skin to darken. Often superficial, epidermal.

So what can we do?

So to not get to technical, we have to stop and inhibit acid and enzymes within the skin cells from forming in the first place, the enzyme Tyrosinase is the culprit we want to stop, we want to prevent the melanin transfering to keratinocytes (this carries the pigment to the surface of the skin) and we want to neutralise free radicals and repair melanocytes.

What facial products ingredients stops this?

Vitamin C - This interfers with the signal from tyrosine, it inhibits the transposition of melanin AND it is an antioxidant, stopping free radicals which can promote melanogenesis.

Lactic Acid - Blocks tyrosinase enzyme and accelerates cell renewal to brighten skin tone.

Oxy - R - Superior skin protector against free radicals, tyrosine and reduces inflammation.

Vitamin A - Antioxidant, increases cell turnover and repairs damaged DNA.

Treatments

So we’ve talked prevention, but what about if you already have pigmentation that you want to get rid of, I have listed the treatments possible to help fade pigmentation. Bare in mind though, that to ensure a successful treatment for melasma, the underlying triggers need to be addressed and removed where possible.

Pigmentation also relies on both the professional treatments and the correct homecare, to keep hyperpigmentation and melasma at bay, its not enough just to have an SPF on. If it’s a bright sunny day, stay in the shade and wear a big hat and sunglasses. Pigmentation is common around the eye area where the SPF wasn’t worked into the skin close enough to the eye area and the sunglasses can’t reach.

The best treatments for all skin types are Chemical Peels and Microneedling.

Chemical peels

Chemical peels help minimise melanin production, fades pigmentation and minimises the formation of further pigmentation. Melasma is best treated with chemical peels and the correct homecare products.

Copy of 20191203 - Even - Completed 6 peels over 12 Weeks - Before and After Peel 2.jpg — A course of 6 Even peels by Medik8, has shown subtle but steady improvements in pigmentation on this client, her pores have also shrunk in size.

Microneedling

Microneedling is best for those suffering with Hyperpigmentation, this is because Microneedling is a collagen induction therapy, by stimulating the collagen growth, the skin is able to reverse pigmentation.

It is essential to start off gently with both treatments to ensure that no further trauma is caused to the skin, but done correctly and professionally, both of these treatments are perfect for all skin types on the FitzPatrick scale.

The reason I haven’t suggested IPL or Laser, is because, whilst very effective on some skin types, it is not effective on all. For higher FitzPatrick colours, it’s very important to be careful with laser due to the fact that pigmentation can be absorbed, so if you are going to be treating pigmentation, it’s better if you are treating a spot area as you may be able to cover the rest of the skin, but to over treat on a whole area can be very dangerous.