Understanding Pigmentation and Hyperpigmentation
Pigmentation and Hyperpigmentation Explained
Understanding Pigmentation and Hyperpigmentation
What is Pigmentation?
Pigmentation refers to the natural color of your skin, hair, and eyes, primarily determined by a pigment called melanin. Melanin is produced by specialized cells known as melanocytes, which are found in the skin's outer layer. The amount and type of melanin produced can vary based on genetic factors, sun exposure, and hormonal changes.
Types of Pigmentation
1. Eumelanin: This dark pigment provides brown or black color.
2. Pheomelanin: This lighter pigment offers yellow or red tones.
What is Hyperpigmentation? What is Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation occurs when certain areas of the skin become darker than the surrounding skin due to an excess production of melanin. This condition can manifest in various forms, such as:
- Sunspots: Caused by prolonged sun exposure.
- Melasma: Often triggered by hormonal changes, such as pregnancy or birth control.
- Post-inflammatory Hyperpigmentation: Dark spots that develop after an injury or inflammation, such as acne.
Causes of Hyperpigmentation
1. Sun Exposure: UV rays stimulate melanin production, leading to dark spots.
2. Hormonal Changes: Fluctuations in hormones can increase melanin production, particularly in women.
3. Skin Injuries: Cuts, burns, or acne can trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
4. Medications: Certain drugs may cause skin discoloration as a side effect.
Prevention and Treatment
1. Sunscreen: Daily use of broad-spectrum sunscreen protects against UV damage.
2. Topical Treatments: Ingredients like hydroquinone, vitamin C, and retinoids can help lighten hyperpigmentation.
3. Professional Treatments: Chemical peels, laser therapy, and microdermabrasion are options for more severe cases.
Conclusion
Understanding pigmentation and hyperpigmentation is essential for taking care of your skin. With the right preventive measures and treatments, you can achieve a more even skin tone and enhance your natural beauty. Always consult with a dermatologist for tailored advice and treatment options.
Pigmentation and Hyperpigmentation Treatments by DermaFix
Chemical Peels
Understanding Skin Peels
Advanced Skin Resurfacing
Chemical peels partially or fully remove the stratum corneum.
Superficial chemical peels performed safely by a Skin Care Professional, DermaFix peels in contrast to medium and deep peels, require little or no down time for the client producing visible results.
Skin Conditions best suited to peeling:
- Ageing – photo damaged skins. Peeling works to encourage cellular renewal and improves skin texture.
- Acne congestion – works to encourage deep-cleansing of follicles and removes dead skin cell build-up.
- Hyperpigmentation – Peeling used in conjunction with various selected protocols to improve hyperpigmentation.
- Lightly scarred or stretch marked skin – Peeling encourages cell renewal and a ‘lift off’ of damaged skin cells.
Comparative Percentages:
In the marketplace, percentages of actives and ingredients in Skin Care products are often an area of concern. It is common in the field as competitive as Skin Care to get into contests of “key” ingredients and “highest” percentages of actives. At DermaFix, we adhere to strict standards and protocols established by the scientific community that are employed when formulating an effective product. Our products contain the correct balance of ingredients using scientific instrumentation to deliver efficacious and visible results. We encourage our representatives to be educators rather than attempting to be scientific formulating chemists when the subject of comparative percentages arises
