WHAT IS HYPER PIGMENTATION?

Ever noticed dark spots or an uneven tone on your skin? Chances are that you are going through a very common skin condition known as hyperpigmentation. Although undesirable, hyperpigmentation is harmless to the skin. These dark patches on the skin make your skin look double toned and your complexion becomes uneven. The main reason for hyperpigmentation is excess melanin production, which makes the skin or patches of the skin, darker.

WHAT IS MELANIN?

Melanin is a brown pigment produced in your body. It is responsible for giving color to the hair, skin, and eyes. Melanin makes our skin tone darker or lighter. Different people make different amounts of melanin. The more melanin your body produces, the darker your skin tone will be.
Melanin is normally produced due to heat and exposure to the sun. Different skin types react differently to melanin. Sometimes, the body also produces melanin due to pregnancy or medications.

COMMON FACTORS THAT CAUSE HYPERPIGMENTATION.

Explained below are some of the factors that cause hyperpigmentation on your skin.

   • Pigmentation due to age (Age spots): Repeated sun exposure causes brown, tan, or black spots on the face and hands and other sun-exposed areas of the body. As your skin ages, these spots darken and become more prominent.

   • Pigmentation due to Pregnancy: In most cases, pregnancy causes dark spots on your skin. The result is large patches of darkened skin on the forehead, face, and stomach.

   • Pigmentation due to inflammation: Skin inflammation often leaves dark spots and patches on the skin. Also known as Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, this is very common over the face and neck.

Now that we have examined the causes and kinds of hyperpigmentation, let’s move on to the more important topic.
Is it possible to get rid of hyperpigmentation? If yes, then how?

HOW TO GET RID OF HYPERPIGMENTATION.

In most cases, hyperpigmentation can be reduced or removed. Popular methods of removing hyperpigmentation include cosmetic treatments, creams, and home remedies. A change in diet also helps reverse hyperpigmentation and prevents it from recurring.

   1. Improve your diet to reduce hyperpigmentation:
A healthy diet including fresh fruits and vegetables helps reduce hyperpigmentation. We recommend taking a diet rich in Vitamin C and at least five portions of color full fruits such as papaya, avocado, orange, grapes, cherries, carrots, broccoli, and bell peppers. Vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, kale, and spinach are also potent antioxidants that help in normal skin cell development and healthy tone.
Other skin lightening foods include dairy products with high amounts of lactic acids and skin exfoliating and lightening agents. Examples include Milk, yogurt, and buttermilk that are high in Biotin, Vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and lactic acid all of which help can remove dead skin cells and lighten pigmentation. And also give a boost to collagen production within the skin.