Pigmentation Products

When I looked in the mirror this morning I noticed a small dark spot on my cheek.  Thankfully, because of the job I do, I knew straight away that it was pigmentation. But why does this happen?  Pigmentation often appears with age, overexposure to the sun, after pregnancy or due to hereditary skin type and can appear as dark spots, liver spots, excessive freckling or patches of skin discolouration.

So what can I use to treat this? We have a wide range of products to help with pigmentation here at The Cosmetic Practice.

The main chemicals used to treat pigmentation are Hydroquinine and Kojic Acid.  Hydroquinine is a strong inhibitor of melanin production, which means that it prevents the skin from making the substance responsible for skin colour. Hydroquinone does not bleach the skin but lightens it, and can only disrupt the synthesis and production of melanin hyperpigmentation.  Although there have been concerns over the use of hydroquinine, research when it comes to topical application indicates negative reactions are minor or a result of using extremely high concentrations.

There are natural alternatives to Hydroquinine such as Bearberry extract, licorice extract and Mulberry.  Alternatively, Kojic acid (a by-product in the fermentation process of malting rice for use in the manufacturing of sake, the Japanese rice wine) alone or in combination with glycolic acid has shown good results due to its inhibitory action on tyrosinase.

I am going to use Neostrata HQ Skin lightening gel which combines hydroquinine and kojic acid but if you are sensitive to hydroqinine you could use the pigment lightening gel instead.

Remember: It is imperative that you use a good sunscreen or avoid the sun when using these products to minimize the risk of sun sensitivity or sunburn.