Top 6 Reasons for Hyperpigmentation – Possible Solutions

Those tiny brown spots in clusters, flat dark spots, darker areas on your cheeks, forehead and perhaps on your neck area, make you conscious sometimes, right? You wonder how you got them, and how can you get rid of them. Well, in this blog I will talk about these tiny annoying spots aka hyperpigmentation. Along with that the main reasons for hyperpigmentation and possible solutions for them. Let’s jump on the intro part.

What Is Hyperpigmentation?

First of all, you should know, hyperpigmentation is not a disease, it’s a condition when your skin produces more melanin and certain areas become more pigmented than others. It can happen all over the body. Though it’s a painless and physically harmless condition, it does affect your confidence at some level. But before you feel bad about having them, you should know it’s very common and can happen to anybody. But it can be seen more in women due to hormonal reasons. Let’s check the types of hyperpigmentation before we move to the reasons for hyperpigmentation.

Types of Hyperpigmentation

1. Melasma: Tiny freckles like spots on cheeks &  forehead, area.
2. Sunspots or age spots: Flat brown spots
3. Post-inflammatory pigmentation: Dark spots caused by injury

What Are The Resaons for Hyperpigmentation?

As per the categorization, the reasons for hyperpigmentation are listed below.

1. Acne 
2. Pregnancy
3. Ageing 
4. Sunlight
5. Smoking & Alcohol Consumption 
6. Pollution

Acne causes post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It can happen to anyone of any age group. 

Pregnancy is one of the topmost reasons for hyperpigmentation. Though during pregnancy skin glows like glass, post-pregnancy many women face hormonal changes and it can cause melasma.

Extreme exposure to sunlight can cause hyperpigmentation, and such pigmentation is called sunspots.

Ageing is another reason for hyperpigmentation, with age collagen production decreases and skin gets thinner, hence the ability to protect skin from sun damage gets reduced and skin gets more pigmented cells in certain areas.  

 People who indulge in regular alcohol consumption and smoke frequently may also face hyperpigmentation. Dark brown flat spots can be seen on their face and body.

Air pollution can be one of the most probable reasons for dark spots. Longer exposure to pollution may exaggerate the condition.

Treatment Methods of Hyperpigmentation

One fact you should know is that nothing can completely erase hyperpigmentation, but correct treatments can make them a lot lighter and less visible. There are the following treatment methods that you can try for hyperpigmentation:

• Topical solutions: Creams and Serums
• Cosmetic procedures: Laser therapy, Chemical peels, Microdermabrasion
• Home remedies

1. Out of the above three, home remedies are the least effective and cost nothing, and can’t even guarantee the lesser appearance of spots.
2. Then comes topical solutions that include creams and serums based on active ingredients which are responsible to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. This method is quite economical and you can easily afford them. 
3. The last and most expensive one is cosmetic treatments, it can cost a leg and arm to you if your case is severe. You might need several sittings on your derm to get rid of those dark patches. And the fun fact is you can get rid of hyperpigmentation completely.

I am sure you have tried many face creams and home remedies on your hyperpigmented areas before. But you can’t treat them unless you know the types of them and possible treatments associated with them. Now that you know the types of hyperpigmentation and their causes, I am sure you can find the solution for them. In case you have more questions on this topic read out the frequently asked questions below.

What Can Worsen Hyperpigmentation?

Exposure to the sun and too much consumption of alcohol and nicotine. You can limit your smoking and drinking habits to reduce the severity of it. Another thing that you can do is include sunscreen in your skincare routine to stop them from worsening. Use vitamin C serum and sunscreen in the morning and lactic acid serum at night. Additionally, you can use spot corrector cream based on natural ingredients.

FAQS on Reasons for Hyperpigmentation & Solutions

Q. How can I avoid hyperpigmentation?

Ans. You can’t control postnatal hyperpigmentation since it’s hormonal. If you are lucky enough it won’t catch you. But the age spots that occur due to sun exposure might affect you. To avoid sunspots avoid exposure to the sun by using sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation can be avoided by not picking the skin after an injury at spots, scabs, and acne.

Q. What is the most effective treatment for hyperpigmentation?

Ans. That depends on the type of hyperpigmentation and its severity. You can seek cosmetic treatments by consulting your dermatologist. Since these treatments are expensive many people can’t afford them they can look for topical solutions like creams and serums etc.

Q. How long does it take to correct hyperpigmentation?

Ans. It depends on the type of hyperpigmentation you have and its severity and of course on treatment type too. If you opt for topical treatment it can take months to see visible results. In the case of cosmetic treatments, it might take multiple sittings at your dermatologist. 

Q. Does vitamin C help with hyperpigmentation?

Ans. Studies show since vitamin C is high in antioxidants that help in collagen production, it does help with hyperpigmentation to an extent. Another reason it might help with it, vitamin C brightens and lightens the complexion, hence it might lighten the dark patches too. You can try vitamin C serum. 

Q. What cream helps hyperpigmentation?

Ans. A few natural ingredients reduce hyperpigmentation such as aloe vera, tomato, liquorice, etc. These ingredients contain vitamin E, C and antioxidants that are responsible for collagen production. One such cream that has all these ingredients is Clovia Botaniqa Spot Corrector Cream, its natural & ayurvedic and free of paraben & sulphate.