More annoying than getting a pimple, dark sports take longer to cure and even harder to conceal. Here, we talk about how to cure hyperpigmentation safely and effectively.
Now that we’re living in an age where the current beauty trend is the no-makeup look or the glass skin effect, it can be quite difficult when you’re prone to dark spots. I have my fair share with battling against the persistent skin enemy. Even though I have come far from my days of skin-picking, my pimples just love to leave a remembrance. I mean how can one even achieve the glowing skin from within look when you’re packing tons of concealer and powder just to mask these areas?
In order to deal with hyperpigmentation, we have to first understand what it is in the first place. Hyperpigmentation occurs when melanin which is responsible for giving our hair and skin color is overproduced in certain spots on the skin. This results in certain areas to be darker than the natural skin tone. The common causes of hyperpigmentation are age spots that are due to overexposure to the sun; melasma which often results from birth control hormones or pregnancy; and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which is the skin’s natural response to inflammation caused by acne.
I’ve gone through highs and lows to solve hyperpigmentation. From the horror of lemon essential oils and whitening soaps that burned my skin to breaking the bank by purchasing expensive serums that did nothing for my hyperpigmentation woes. I’ve learned that it takes a lot of patience and a balance between strong but gentle ingredients that’s enough to maintain the integrity of the skin’s natural protective barrier.
Here are my top tips to deal with hyperpigmentation:
Prevention Is Better Than A Cure
You’ve heard it before, but we all need a reminder about it once in a while: Stop picking at your skin. Spots with trauma caused by constant home extraction can take years to heal. So, take a step back from the mirror, close your eyes, and trust that pimples will come and go.
Tip: I can recommend using acne patches and avoiding magnified mirrors. Acne patches can help decrease the size of the pimple while also keeping it concealed so you won’t be tempted to pick or unintentionally scratch it.
Know The Difference Between Brightening and Whitening
Treating brightening and whitening products the same can be dangerous. Whitening products are controversial in the skincare world and especially in Asian countries. In Asian countries, white skin has long been a beauty ideal that started a trend of risky procedures and products to bleach the skin to a lighter tone. Skin whitening products can compromise the natural skin function of the overall production of melanin. However, melanin exists in our skin to protect it from UV exposure, and stripping our skin of it can make your dermis more sensitive and prone to cellular damage. It also feeds into the notion that having a darker natural complexion is bad and looked down upon.
On the other end, brightening products concentrate on increasing vibrancy and radiance to dull-looking skin by removing dead skin cells and only targeting the area with an overproduction of melanin. This helps reduce pigmentation, dark spots and acne spots to even out your skin tone which is a huge difference from whitening treatments that fully alter the natural skin. Brightening products also use a completely different set of ingredients than whitening products that are considerably gentler and nourishing to the skin.
Tip: When following a brightening skincare routine, make sure to always end with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Brightening products can make you more sensitive to the sun and sunscreen helps in protecting your dark spots from getting darker.
Learn The Best Healing Ingredients
Hyperpigmentation is basically the skin’s reaction to a trauma or irritation caused by external factors which is why it’s important to treat it similarly to a wound—you have to heal it inside out. One of the trendy healing super ingredients in the skincare world is snail mucin. By now if you’re a skincare enthusiast you’ve probably known that all the rave about this ingredient is true. Snail Mucin is a multi-tasker agent that soothes, hydrates, and stimulates the production of elastin and collagen to increase the skin’s healing process.
Tip: Snail mucin products don’t have to be pricey. A lot of Asian affordable brand is available in the market that delivers amazing results. I personally recommend snail mucin serums since serums have a more concentrated formulation.
Try out SNAILWHITE’s Miracle Intensive Repair Serum that contains 3 key ingredients – Ultra Repair Botanical Complex, Alpha Arbutin, and Collagen from Snail Potion.
The Ultra Repair Botanical Complex contains 7 supercharged plant extracts to restore and neutralize free radicals. This will energize your skin’s natural renewal process to restore its smooth, bouncy texture. Another hero brightening ingredient is Alpha Arbutin which evens out the complexion and reduces hyperpigmentation without causing irritation and sensitivity. Last but not least is the miracle beauty ingredient of snail mucin that’s loaded with a list of good-for-your-skin nutrients. These nutrients heals and has a collagen-increasing and wrinkle-decreasing effect. Their Snail Potion is also universal that works with other superstar ingredients for any skin type. This will leave the skin thriving and protected in any environment.
Use the serum before moisturizer like their Moisture Facial Cream to lock in the serum. This way it enhances all the active ingredients of your routine. It makes each one work double overnight so you can wake up to smooth, firm and glowing skin.
SNAILWHITE is available at select Watsons and The SM Store branches nationwide and online at Watsons, BeautyMNL, Lazada and Shopee. For more updates, follow SNAILWHITE Philippines on Facebook and on Instagram.
