Pigmented skin is a major skin care concern for many Australian women. Although the top six pigmentation correctors can work wonders on existing pigmentation, prevention is always better than a cure – which means it’s worth doing everything we can to stop it developing in the first place.
We spoke to Platinum Dermatology specialist dermatologist, Dr Ritu Gupta, to find out more about skin pigmentation, including expert tips on how to prevent it…
What causes skin pigmentation?
There are many different kinds of skin pigmentation (including acne scars, wisdom warts and hormonal pigmentation), but coming into summer, pigmentation caused by sun exposure is the one to watch out for.
As the specialist explains, this pigmentation can show on your face and body as “liver spots or age spots, pre-cancerous sun spots and moles (both benign and malignant)” and occurs when damaging UV rays (both UVB and UVA) penetrate our skin.
You don’t have to spend a great amount of time outside to develop skin pigmentation. In fact, Dr Gupta says liver spots are usually caused by “UVA rays, which can penetrate through window glass.” Scary, huh?!
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Who is prone to skin pigmentation?
If there’s one thing we know about skin pigmentation, it’s that it doesn’t discriminate. Dr Gupta says fairer skin types are particularly susceptible – but as the gallery below shows, even celebrities know the struggle…
RELATED: 9 celebrities with the most envy-inducing skin How can I prevent skin pigmentation? Unless you’re planning on staying indoors all summer (and risking low vitamin D levels as a result), you should start thinking about ways to prevent skin pigmentation sooner, rather than later. See below for some key ways to stop it developing, including expert advice from Dr Gupta: Use a quality sunscreen such as Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face Lotion SPF50+ or Hamilton Everyday Face Sunscreen daily and remember to reapply. As Dr Gupta says, “[Sunscreen] isn’t a coat of armour to last you the day!” Don’t forget to apply SPF to your eye area. If you would prefer not to use a regular sunscreen, incorporate an eye cream that contains SPF such as Alpha-H Absolute Eye Cream SPF 15 into your skin care routine and wear sunglasses and a hat, for extra protection. Use a high-SPF lip balm such as SunSense Lip Balm SPF 50+. According to the experts, women, especially those with darker skin tones, quite often get pigmentation on their lips. This can be difficult to treat, so prevention is key. Dr Gupta recommends having “regular skin checks by your family GP or a dermatologist (depending on your age, colouring and history).” What should I do if I already have skin pigmentation? Sometimes, despite our best efforts, pigmentation can still develop. Dr Gupta’s advice? “Don’t try to self-diagnose or use Dr Google”, especially “if anything is changing or not healing”. Instead, have your skin assessed by a dermatologist, who will be able to “identify whether the pigmentation is of medical concern, or if it is simply a cosmetic nuisance” and take you through the best treatment options. bh also recommends using a facial serum that contains vitamin E, such as Botáni Olive Skin Serum or Elemis Advanced Brightening Even Tone Serum, to help fade dark spots and reduce the appearance of pigmentation. Do you suffer from pigmented skin? What’s your greatest summer beauty concern?
