As a teenager when I started transitioning from baby soft skin to acne prone, sensitive and erratic skin, I started searching why I was getting the pesky post spot marks that became darker. Whilst watching my friends pop their zits and still be left with no marks is when it made me realise my skin was set out differently. That’s when I found myself on the world wide web at the age of 14 searching ‘how to get rid of dark skin marks’ is when I landed on ‘hyperpigmentation’.
Hyperpigmentation is patches of the skin that become discoloured or significantly darker compared to the rest of the skin. It is caused by the overproduction of melanin in the skin, which can cause the skin to look darker than the rest of your complexion. Usually at the end of a breakout, if you’re left with dark marks where your pimples used to be, that’s hyperpigmentation. There’s different types of hyperpigmentation such as Melasma, age spots, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation so you have to really know where the root of the problem is to be able to begin repairing your skin to an extent. As the saviour cult product that rises every time within skincare, sunscreen can help minimise further darkening of these brown marks. However, as much as we try to prevent these occurring it can become unavoidable at times as you can also be left with marks after you bruise, burn or cut yourself.
If you’re like me, who’s tried her fair share of topical treatments months on end with little result and would prefer to accelerate the process of evening out your skin tone, there are now many treatments which are available that reduce and lighten dark spots and even out your skin tone. We begin with three treatments that we feel are super beneficial in beginning your journey to achieving an even skin tone:
Laser facial
The powerful yet gentle facial has minimum pain, as daunting as ‘laser’ for solely skin purposes can sound. Laser facials penetrate deep in the skins layers, stimulating collagen within the skin as well as reducing acne prone bacteria’s deep through the epidermis layers. The wavelengths of the laser target pigmented areas of the skin, diminishing the melanin to gain an even skin tone.
— Laser treatments can vary to each skin tone, for darker skin tones we wouldn’t recommend intense laser treatments as this can cause permanent damage to the pigment.
Below are three clinics we recommend for a laser facial:
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are highly concentrated acids that are applied to your face to exfoliate the layer of the skin. There are many different types of chemical peels to choose from which all depends on the intensity and the application that is most suitable for your skin. The skin treated eventually peels off and unveils a new smoother layer that enables the removal of melanin. During this, new cells creep up and the production rate of collagen accelerates.
— Chemical peels can be suitable for people with any skin colour, however intensity should be considered whether suitable depending on the condition of skin.
Below are three clinics we recommend for a chemical peel:
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a noninvasive cosmetic procedure where the skin is deeply exfoliated with a specialised tool that buffs away the dead skin cells. This procedure takes away a layer of the skin, revealing improved skin texture and tone with reduced signs of ageing as well as dark skin marks.
— Microdermabrasion can be suitable for people with any skin colour.
Below are three clinics we recommend for a Microdermabrasion procedure:
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