Face hyperpigmentation is a skin condition that causes the face to darken due to patches.
Face pigmentation can be a result of underlying health conditions and also some environmental factors.
In the course of this article, you will be exposed to specific causes of face hyperpigmentation and how to treat and prevent them, according to experts.
What is hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is a skin condition that describes the darkening of areas of the skin, resulting in uneven pigmentation in the skin.
Hyperpigmentation appears as darkened patches or spots on the skin that make the skin look uneven.
What is face hyperpigmentation?
In face hyperpigmentation, there is an increase in skin pigmentation on the face, making it look tanned and appear darker.
It usually occurs in areas of the face such as the cheeks, nose, and forehead.
Causes of face hyperpigmentation
The causes of hyperpigmentation depend on a variety of factors. As we treat each case, their factors would likewise be stated.
Melasma (also called Chloasma)
Melasma is a skin condition that results in brown, tan, or blue-grey spots on the face. It is characterized by patterns on three specific locations of the face, and they comprise the central face, cheekbone, and jawline.
There are two factors responsible for melasma: hormonal and environmental factors, but for men, the environmental factors are the prominent causes.
These environmental factors include radiations, whether ultraviolet, visible light or infrared (heat) light.
Melasma is of three types:
Dermal melasma
Dermal melasma appears bluish and sometimes brown. This type of melasma sometimes responds to treatment.
Epidermal melasma
This melasma appears as a dark-brown colour but with pronounced borders and is known to respond very well to treatment.
Mixed melasma
As the name implies, this is a mix of dermal and epidermal melasma. It is the most common of all types, and it comprises both bluish and brown symptom patches.
Skin inflammation
Skin inflammation is another cause of facial hyperpigmentation. How? You might be wondering.
As a man, whenever you experience skin conditions such as acne, eczema, lupus, or an injury on your face, you are at risk of experiencing face hyperpigmentation.
This is because areas of the skin can get darker after skin inflammation.
Having naturally dark skin can also place you at a higher risk of facial hyperpigmentation.
Medical conditions
Medical conditions like hemochromatosis and Addison’s disease can cause serious hyperpigmentation to the face.
Hemochromatosis is a hereditary condition that causes the body to contain excess iron. This excess iron causes the skin to become tanner and appear darker.
On the other hand, Addison’s disease affects the adrenal glands and can cause hyperpigmentation on certain areas of the skin, such as; folds of skin (elbows, knuckles, toes, and knees) and on areas of the face like the lips and the cheek region.
Reactions to drugs
Everyone reacts differently to drugs. This is why you need to understand yourself perfectly well and what you can react to.
Certain medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarials, amiodarone, cytotoxic drugs, tetracyclines, heavy metals, and psychotropic drugs can cause face hyperpigmentation.
Hormonal imbalances
Hormonal imbalances are one of the major causes of hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation occurs due to the overproduction of melanin and the imbalances of hormones in the body.
Frequent skin touches
This might come as a surprise to you, but it happens. Touching your skin frequently can lead to hyperpigmentation. Scratching a mosquito bite here, peeling the remnants of pimples there, or applying facial treatments can lead to face hyperpigmentation in more than one way.
How to prevent face hyperpigmentation
To stay off the stress of looking for treatments or remedies to fade your face hyperpigmentation, you should follow these preventive measures:
- Avoid direct sunlight
- Always shade your face using a hat or a scarf to avoid skin tanning.
- Limit the way you touch your face. Be sure you wash your hands properly if you must touch your face.
- Always include Vitamin C in your diet, likewise your skincare routine (you should have one too, even as a man).
- Exfoliate at least 3 times a week
- Use sunscreen
How to treat face hyperpigmentation
Treating face hyperpigmentation is really your best bet to achieving that flawless make skin you’ve always desired.
You might have been in a dilemma or, better still, confused about what to do, what products to use, and even how often to use them.
There are two broad ways to treat face hyperpigmentation that we would be treating.
The first one is via home remedies, while the second is professional treatment.
Home remedies for face hyperpigmentation
These remedies are called home remedies because you can use them at the comfort of your home. Also, the ingredients they consist of are usually at your disposal.
So, what are these home remedies?
Use of black tea water
According to a research published in 2011, black tea water was found to fade dark spots on the skin of guinea pigs.
How to use
- To a cup of boiling distilled water, add a spoonful of fresh black tea leaves.
- After two hours, strain to remove the leaves.
- Soak a cotton ball inside the tea water twice a day and apply it to hyperpigmented regions.
- Repeat every day for four weeks, six days a week.
With its high caffeine content, black tea firms skin fades blemishes, de-puffs, decreases pigmentation, calms inflammation, increases collagen synthesis, and prevents premature ageing when applied topically. It also cleanses the body by excluding toxins. So you see that with black tea water, you get multiple results.
Milk, buttermilk, or sour milk
Milk of any form is naturally moisturizing and is also known to have high bleaching and toning properties.
Buttermilk, like all other milk, contains lactic acid, which contains beneficial fat and bacteria and is also effective in skin penetration and dead cell removal.
It is best to use milk, buttermilk, or sour milk with any naturally known lightening agent like turmeric or tomato juice.
How to use
- Using a cotton pad, apply 1 tablespoon of buttermilk and 1 tablespoon of tomato juice to the hyperpigmented regions of your face and leave for 30 minutes.
- If you rinse your face with cool water, you will see that your face hyperpigmentation will fade and that darkening will be removed, giving you a more even skin tone.
Exfoliation
Exfoliation is simply the removal of dead cells from the skin’s surface via substances, usually granular.
Why exfoliation is good for hyperpigmentation? Exfoliation aids in the breakdown of pigmented cells, allowing them to fade. When combined with skin-lightening ingredients like vitamin C, the granular exfoliant can help speed up the fading process.
Professional treatment options for face hyperpigmentation
However almighty home remedies are represented to be, they can never be compared to professional treatments.
As the name implies, professional treatments are carried out by experts who have been in the field for a considerable number of years. That obviously can’t be compared to mixing stuff that you sometimes solely assume is the best for you.
To get rid of your face hyperpigmentation, there are quite several professional treatments you can look into, and some of them are as follows:
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is an in-office technique for treating epidermal hyperpigmentation. Your dermatologist will use drill-like handheld equipment with a wire brush or other abrasive attachment throughout the operation. The tool is then swiped across your skin to remove the epidermis quickly yet gently.
Use of certified skincare products
Asides from being the largest organ in the body, the skin is also a very vital one. Whatever you put on your skin goes a long way in determining your general well-being, so you should be sure about the products you use on your skin.
Whatever skincare product you use should be organic, natural origin, or both.
Facelift creams for nourishing and lightning benefits are your best bet to fade face hyperpigmentation. They help keep your skin smooth, supple, and hydrated day after day, as the more hydrated your skin is, the lesser the dark patches that tend to appear.
P9q1A of organic facial peels
Organic facial peels are another way to get rid of facial hyperpigmentation. They gradually fade off, making the texture and tone of the skin to be improved, and you also get the plus of removing fine wrinkles on your face.
Facial peels can also come in chemical forms with acids at very high concentrations, but the negative side is that they can form blisters and other injuries that could further darken the face.
Organic facial peels can come in the form of purifying cleansing water infused with premium-effective ingredients, which gradually fade off the excess pigmentation without causing any harm whatsoever to the skin.
Use of face serums
The serum step is an amazing one in the skincare routine to target the darker trouble spots on the face. Using a dark-spot-correcting serum-containing, any organic brightening component will assist speed up the process and help dark spots erase even faster.
Serums, while fading face hyperpigmentation, also protect, rejuvenate and nourish the skin.
Final Words
Above all, following precautions strictly and also using the right skincare products would assist greatly in fading away from your face hyperpigmentation.
