Dark Spots: Everything about Dark Spots and Hyper-pigmentation

Dark spots are usually seen as signs of ugliness or aging. People try to disguise their dark spots with different creams, makeup, and procedures. But Dark spots are something that is bound to happen if you are a normal human being who goes out and gets exposed to sun, dust, and other agents of the environment.

A lot of people feel guilty for not taking enough care of their skin, and hence that results in Dark spots. But it is a well-proven fact that Dark spots can be caused according to the weather you will be in, your life habits, your age, and how you manage these factors. Of course, your lifestyle and skin routines affect the quality of your dark spots.

People get down on their self-confidence and feel less loved because of such conditions as Dark spots. But it should be noted that they are a part of our skin. They are naturally produced, occur due to UV rays, and many other lifestyle factors too.

The industry of skin and beauty has come up with many methods, products, and procedures to disguise or remove these. These things are done so that you can present yourself the way you like. People generally choose such things because they feel the most confident without these dark spots and other conditions that happen to their skin.

What Are Dark Spots?

Dark spots, also known as hyperpigmentation, are the spots that are a bit darker than your skin color and occur on your skin. The dark spots are known to be the result of the extra produced Melanin. Melanin is a chemical naturally produced in our bodies. If you are facing a skin condition like Dark Spots, it could be due to the reason of excessive Melanin production.

Melanin is the substance responsible for all the pigmentation in your body. The pigmentation your eyes, skin, hair, and other body parts have is because of the substance produced, which is known to be Melanin. Melanin production and its extent vary from person to person. The factors that affect the extent of Melanin are genes, the atmosphere, which includes weather conditions and exposure to the sun, and the amount of Melanin produced in the ancestors.

The dark spots generally range from the color of Brown and black. They are oval-shaped and do not appear in a pattern. They are scattered all over the body part that is facing this skin condition. Most people have dark spots on the arms, back, face, shoulders, and back of hands. A group of dark spots can build up a group and look like darkened skin over time.

The other names for Dark spots include Hyperpigmentation, Age spots, Liver spots, and Solar Lentigines. Although Dark spots are a small cause and are just known as a simple skin condition, they can turn into severe hyperpigmentation, which affects the skin in severe ways.

Although dark spots and their extent and types differ from one person to another, majorly there are three types of Dark spots, as mentioned below:

1. Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation: This is the kind of dark spots that occur on the skin due to trauma that has been caused to the skin. They can be a result of prolonged acne, burnt skin, and many other reasons that can cause PTI, also called Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation.

2. Melasma: These kinds of dark spots are caused due to huge variations in hormonal changes over a short period of time. This is most prominent among women who experience regular hormonal imbalance. Also, pregnant ladies, women suffering from PCOD or PCOS, and women going through thyroid dysfunction face dark spots in the form of Melasma.

3. Lentigines: These kinds of dark spots are caused due to direct exposure to the sun over a prolonged period. Such dark spots can be described as small spots of burned skin. These are mainly a result of the harmful UV radiation. It was stated that 90% of people over the age of 60 have them. They are also seen in the population that has to work for long hours in the sun without the protection of sunscreen or the players who play during the day in the shining bright sun.

What Causes Dark Spots?

Although dark spots are mainly caused by the excessive Melanin that is produced in the body due to various reasons, there are several other reasons that can cause dark spots too. Some of these reasons are mentioned below:

• Prolonged Exposure To The Sun

One of the biggest reasons for hyperpigmentation or dark spots is prolonged exposure to sunlight. However, the sun contains many good health benefits like Vitamin D, which is good for health, including the bones of our body. But the sunlight also contains harmful UV rays, which are super unhealthy for our skin and hair.

To an extent, exposure to sunlight is seen as healthy and important, but exposing your skin for prolonged hours to the sun without the protection of any sunscreen can result in hyperpigmentation.

• Medicines

There are certain kinds of medicine that cause different dark spots as a result of their after-effects. A lot of medicines, when consumed, have some after-effects, or they might not suit you. Some of the medicine whose consumption might cause you dark spots are listed below:

• Medicines containing Estrogens like Climara, Estrace, etc.
• Medications like Phenytoin are taken to ease chronic pain.
• Broad-spectrum antibiotics like Minocin and Adoxa.
• Medicines like Sulfonamides are used to treat infections.

• Medical Conditions

Sometimes if your body is suffering from medical conditions, that might result in the extra production of chemicals like Melanin which may cause hyperpigmentation or dark spots. A lot of medical conditions result in severe hyperpigmentation as their symptom or effect. Some of such medical conditions are mentioned below:

• Pregnancy: During pregnancy, there is a lot of hormonal imbalance going on in the expectant mother’s body. This hormonal balance results in excessive production of chemicals that cause dark spots in various body parts like the face, arms, shoulders, and back.

• Addison’s Disease: This disease is related to the adrenal of our body. This is caused due to the insufficient production of chemicals like cortisol and aldosterone. The symptoms of this disease include darkening of the skin in the form of hyperpigmentation.

• Hemochromatosis: This is known to be a disease caused by the production of excessive iron in the body. The disease is caused by genes inherited from parents. This disease can cause brown-colored skin resulting in hyperpigmentation.

There are a lot of other reasons for hyperpigmentation or dark spots, but the main reasons faced by most people are excessive production of Melanin and prolonged exposure to the sun.

Treatments Of Dark Spots Or Hyperpigmentation

1. Chemical Peeling

These days a lot of people use chemical peeling as a method to cure their dark spots or hyperpigmentation. The method of chemical peeling is convenient and can be done easily at home. There are three kinds of chemical peels that can be used independently of each other in order to treat your hyperpigmentation:

• Glycolic Acid Peel: This peel comes in the category of AHA peels, but it is known to be milder than the other AHA chemical peels. This peel is good to go for the treatment of surface hyperpigmentation. This acid is recommended with 30-50% concentration, especially for people with dry skin.

• Salicylic acid peel: This peel is better for people who are facing hyperpigmentation because of inflammation. This one comes under the category of BHA peel. It is advised to use this with a concentration of 20-30%. BHA peels like this are a great recommendation for people who have oily skin.

• Trichloroacetic acid peel: This peel lies in the category of TCA peels. TCA peels are known to cure pigmentation very effectively as they are a bit strong in nature. These penetrate deeper and are the best to remove the excessive melanin deposits. It can be used with 10-15% concentration for lighter spots and 20-25% concentration for darker hyperpigmentation.

Aftercare Of Chemical Peel Treatment

It should be noted that the chemical peels make your skin sun-sensitive, so you should keep a regular check on your sunscreen. If you are doing the treatment at home, you should use mild acids at first and even do a patch test to check what suits your skin. The last and most important thing is to wait for at least 15 days to apply for the second round or try another peel. This waiting period helps you to observe the changes and any side effects that might take place.

2. Laser Treatment

A lot of people choose laser treatment to remove their hyperpigmentation or dark spots. The laser treatment involves the use of laser or radiations that remove the hyperpigmentation from your body parts.

This is done by targeting a beam of light in the conditioned area, and the hyperpigmentation is removed from the surface of the skin. The number of sittings that are needed to be taken depends upon the size of the area affected by the hyperpigmentation.

Generally, it takes 4-6 sittings for most people.

This method is preferred by people as it is less time-consuming and hassle-free. However, this method is a bit costly as compared to the chemical peel method. But it is a lot more convenient for some people. It is also advised that you should visit a good dermatologist for such treatment as it involves procedures on your skin that should be performed by experts.

3. Medicinal Treatments

Medicinal treatments involve the prescription of different creams and medicines for the lightning of your hyperpigmentation by a certified doctor. This method may take your skin months to lighten the pigmentation. These products take months because they have a concentration of 3-4% as compared to the chemical peels, which have a high concentration of about 10-25%.

Medicinal treatments generally involve the bleaching of the skin’s dark part or repairing the damaged cells. The medicines might also include the reduction in excessive production of Melanin and anti-inflammatory medicines.

4. Microdermabrasion

This one is known to be an exfoliation treatment that helps in removing dead skin cells. This treatment is preferred by people who have mild hyperpigmentation or very few dark spots. This treatment does not penetrate anything into your skin cells, it just works on removing your upper dead skin. Microdermabrasion is advised to people as this procedure does not involve much healing and invasion of the layers of your skin.

FAQs

• Do dark spots go away?

Yes. Dark spots that are not caused by aging fade over time. Hyperpigmentation caused due to injury, sun exposure, and other reasons fades away with proper care and time.

• How can I remove dark spots at home permanently? 

You can remove the dark spots caused to you due to any reason by taking necessary precautions and proper care for your skin.

This includes drinking plenty of water and, staying hydrated, eating a healthy diet that includes a lot of Vitamin C, which can be found in fruits like oranges. The necessary precautions include applying your sunscreen regularly and using a scarf and sunglasses to protect yourself from harmful UV rays of the sun.

If you are already facing the issue of hyperpigmentation, you can try some home remedies like applying aloe vera gel regularly on the pigmented area.

• Is vitamin C good for dark spots? 

Yes. The natural vitamin C available in nature is good for your skin overall. But if you are facing major hyperpigmentation, you can try using creams and products that are enriched with Vitamin C. It is said that Vitamin C applied regularly for 16 weeks may help you to reduce the dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C might lighten your dark spots. You should try to add as much Vitamin C as you can to your diet, too, for better results.

• Can Ice remove dark spots? 

Yes. Ice could help you to lighten and remove your dark spots. But ice does not directly make your dark spots disappear. The ice has the properties of improving blood circulation, reducing skin inflammation, and brightening the skin. These factors might help to reduce or remove your hyperpigmentation.

The Delhi Hair Transplant Clinic Experience:

At Delhi Hair Transplant Clinic, our team of dermatologists are here to assist you get obviate dark spots which will adversely affect your appearance. With the newest treatment protocols, our experts are well-versed with the various sorts of dark spots, and therefore the relevant treatment procedures to assist arrest and take away an equivalent.

If you are feeling like your dark spots are adversely affecting your appearance, schedule a meeting with one among our experts today.

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