Dealing with Hyperpigmentation

Skin talk is always fun, right? You have the ups and downs, it can be fun when it’s clear and affect you when there’s a breakout. It’s literally hormonal, I wanted to say it’s similar to hormones where you can be up or do but acne in adults is more than likely due to hormones. The aftermath of acne is usually clear skin — way after though if you’re dealing with cystic nodules. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies after the redness goes away. Acne isn’t fun and it can affect you. It never really goes away when it brings hyperpigmentation as the endgame. Acne is one of those things that you can’t get away from when you have hormones bouncing all over the place or pores that just suck n all the dirt and don’t want you to let you live your life. Hyperpigmentation is one of the no fun parts. It’s the part where you sigh because you thought it was over but it’s really not.

What is hyperpigmentation?

Hyperpigmentation is the overproduction of melanin, which leads to the dark spots on your face after pimples or any other form of skin trauma. It’s discoloration. Yes, it will fade but over time. Sometimes it is a long time and you are going to hate it. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to hyperpigmentation – how to stop it and make it go away. Consider prevention and finding a routine that will help you with your skin. We’re not going to dive into that today but prevention is one of the things you want to consider if you want to avoid it at all costs.

Those dark spots on your skin take time to heal because the acne and irritation is deep in the skin. Just remember there’s not just one cause to dark spots, it can be anything from acne to burns to age spots but I’m talking acne here. I’m talking my experience and knowledge of putting up with the little pains. They don’t fade if you leave them alone, the no touch factor doesn’t apply to topicals. I was always told it would take years for my hyperpigmentation to fade but it didn’t take that long for me.

Time to dive in on 5 tips for dealing with hyperpigmentation:

Don’t Touch

Every magazine will tell you this and the doctor/dermatologist will preach this to you but do not touch your face. Your face will absorb any dirt that your fingers bring to it. At all costs, you want to avoid touching your face. Do not pick or rub these pimples and just let them do their time while applying the product. It only gets worst when you inflict trauma among those areas, which can happen from touching and bothering these marks. It’ll get worse in the long run if you keep messing with it, trust me.

Talk to a Dermatologist

Let me tell you, the dermatologist is your skin’s best friend. Mine had me go through a lot like, Accutane and different antibiotics but it wasn’t as bad as some people make it. She really dived in on helping me fade my scars and she’s prescribed many things that have helped me. Your dermatologist knows best and you should get advice from them before you take on applying different products to your face. The dermatologist knows best and Retin-A is definitely something they can prescribe to help you out. They are the pros and they are going to know how to help you.

Treatment

One, Retinal will become your best friend. I say this with experience and usage of that product. Getting a prescription from the dermatologist is probably one of the best things because they know skin and they study your skin plus more to know what they’re going. They can easily peer at your face and know what type of acne you have and what you need to do to combat against it. Those prescriptions they give you are important, most of the time they give you the offense and defense. Look into glycerin or hyaluronic acid, my dermatologist has recommended it to me and I’ve invested in soaps that have helped out a lot. These prescriptions are going to be useful to help cell turnover, which is what you want to do to remove the old skin and let the new skin in. Not only are there prescriptions that you can get but there are also home remedies — check them out on the internet. I suggest honey because it’s pretty bomb.

Facial — Dermaplaning, Chemical Peels, Etc.

I would suggest a facial once a month because you’re going to an esthetician, who has studied skincare. They know what to do for your skin and can easily pick out what is wrong. There are many methods to work against hyperpigmentation. Of course, none of this will work after one trip so do remember that. Many trips will be suggested depending on your skin and what the esthetician thinks. Facials aren’t a one-time thing — that is something people misunderstand, they think one trip is going to change everything and it’s not. In fact, you might leave your first trip red as a tomato and peeling because that layer of skin has to be removed to fade those scars. Also, you can try out facial masks on your own if you want to budget and save. I talk about three bad skin days face masks a few months ago and I would say these are some of my favorite.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is your legit bff. You should be wearing this at all times but definitely, wear it when you have hyperpigmentation. The sunshine can attribute to darker dark spots and that’s what you’re trying to avoid. If you’re using a retinal, you need to make sure you are applying and reapplying sunscreen because your face is going to be sensitive to the sunlight. The sun sends your melanin into overdrive and I know we all want to be golden but it’s just not worth it if you aren’t 100% happy with your appearance. Lather up, keep that skin young and firm.

It’s work — you have to put in work to get the results that you want to see in everything including your face. I know I preach this a lot but it’s true. I can wake up and see the dark spots on my face and be upset with myself for not putting on my topicals the night before compared to when I do put topicals on my skin and wake up, I truly feel like there’s a difference. If you are worrying about winter skin problems, you can read my 6 Wintertime Skin Care Tips.

What are your tips? How do you deal with your acne and hyperpigmentation?