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Hyperpigmentation: what is it & how to treat it?
Are you struggling with unattractive discolouration and dark spots on your face? You’re not alone. Hyperpigmentation is a very common skin condition and a lot of factors can have an impact on your skin’s health and appearance.
So, what exactly is Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is a condition when patches of your skin become darker in colour than the normal surrounding skin. This happens due to an overproduction of melanin in the skin. Melanin is naturally produced to provide you with your skin colour and to protect your skin from damaging UV rays.
There are four common types of hyperpigmentation we deal with at GMA:
- Freckles – These are small dark spots, usually less than 5mm in width. Freckles are hereditary but are activated by sun exposure. This means patients who have the freckle gene (MC1R) will experience more freckles when they are exposed to the sun. A person without this gene, however, will not produce this type of hyperpigmentation regardless of whether or not they are in the sun. Freckles tend to fade with age and between seasons (usually more freckles in the summer and less in the winter).
- Solar Lentigos (sunspots) – These are very common and develop on parts of your skin that are most exposed to the sun such as your face, chest, neck and hands. Solar lentigos tend to be larger than freckles with a diameter of more than 5mm. Sunspots typically stick around and will not fade in the winter.
- Melasma – This is a form of hyperpigmentation whereby patches of skin appear darker in colour. Commonly affected areas on the face include the cheeks, nose bridge, chin, forehead, and around the mouth. Melasma is usually caused by changes in hormones and often occurs during pregnancy.
- Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) – If you have struggled with acne then you might be more familiar with this one. This is because the discolouration that acne leaves behind is actually called PIH. When there is damage or trauma to the skin (eg. acne, cuts, burns, etc), inflammation leads to an overproduction of melanin.
The good news is, here at GMA, we offer a variety of treatments to help remove different forms of hyperpigmentation and at the same time improve skin health to suppress melanin overproduction for an overall brighter, healthier skin.
Integrative Approach at GMA:
At GMA, we understand that skincare is personal and targeting hyperpigmentation isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when our patients all have unique skin types, skin tones, lifestyles & conditions. When looking at treating, we offer an integrative approach that combines different treatments at different strengths and frequencies to help our patients achieve the best possible results.
Let’s take a look at some of them!
Laser Treatments
Lasers can be used to help reduce pigmentation. At GMA, we offer the Yellowbeam treatment to target and break up the unwanted pigment. Thus, allowing your body to naturally eliminate the pigment particles.
The Yellowbeam is a safe and effective treatment option to help treat sun damage, rosacea, unattractive veins, and melasma. Clinically proven to successfully treat both vascular and pigmented lesions, the Yellowbeam can safely treat both light and dark skin types (up to skin type IV) where traditional lasers cannot. Your comfortability is important to us so you can expect minimal risks of side effects with little to no downtime with this treatment.
Another laser treatment that is clinically proven to be safe and highly effective for both light and dark skin types is our Clear + Brilliant. This gentle resurfacing laser helps to improve the texture of the skin (including fine lines, mild acne scarring and enlarged pores) while targeting the deeper pigment in the dermis for improvement in skin tone. This is very different from our Yellowbeam, which treats vascular lesions as well as more superficial to moderate depth pigmented lesions.
Given that Clear + Brilliant and Yellowbeam target hyperpigmentation at various depths of the skin and yield different skin benefits, we have developed our very own special laser program implementing these two powerful lasers – Clear & Yellow Stack Attack. The laser program maximizes the potential of both lasers (the Clear + Brilliant and the Yellowbeam) to provide superior results.
Cosmelan Peel System
One of GMA’s highly sought-after hyperpigmentation treatments is the Cosmelan Peel System. This professional depigmentation system uses a unique blend of active ingredients to not only lift pigmented skin cells but also regulate the production of melanin to help prevent reappearance of dark spots and appearance of new spots. In doing so, you can expect the Cosmelan Peel System to reverse the effects of aging and photodamaged skin while providing your skin a healthier looking glow.
The Cosmelan Peel System is suitable for all skin types, even darker skin types where lasers may not be suitable.
It is important to note that Cosmelan Peel System works exceptionally well in conjunction with our laser treatments. The lasers help to break up existing pigment while Cosmelan suppresses melanin overproduction at the melanocyte level. Together as a team, they maximize treatment efficacy and lead to more enduring results.
At GMA, our customized treatment plans are to ensure you walk away with optimal results and are unique to each patient’s personal circumstances, for example, the depth and size of the pigment, skin type, etc.
To learn more about our treatments and skincare and what may be best for you, please contact GMA for a consultation.
At GMA, our customized treatment plans are to ensure you walk away with optimal results and are unique to each patient’s personal circumstances for example, the depth and size of the pigment, skin type, etc.
To learn more about our treatments and skincare and what may be best for you, please contact GMA for a consultation.
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