Skin pigmentation can come in many different forms, degrees of severity and causes, Pigmentation is the darkening of the skin and is extremely common.  There are two main causes for pigmentation on the skin, sun damage and hormonal triggers.

Our award-winning RVR90 Client treated her pigmentation in 90 days

Read more on RVR90

 

Sun Damage

Pigmentation caused by sun damage is the most common form of pigmentation and is caused by UV exposure from the sun and is also at such high in New Zealand. We won’t go into a science lesson on how UV rays work but there is more on our suncare blog.

 

Hormonal Triggers

Hormones can also trigger melanin cells too produce more melanin and cause pigmentation to surface, this is very common in pregnancy referred to as melasma and also women who take oral contraceptives.  This sort of pigmentation is usually grouped together rather than scattered.

 

Post-inflammatory 

This pigment is caused by trauma or injury to the skin for example after serve acne, burns or dermatitis. The inflammation and trauma in the skin cause the release of excess melanin.

 

Treatments

There are plenty of treatment options to treat the range of pigmentation, its all about finding the best option for your skin and this should be decided by a skin care expert.

Homecare Products

SPF

The number one treatment product for pigmentation is SPF,  a high quality sunscreen will protect you from any further pigmentation damage but will also protect the pigmentation visible on the skin already as any exposure to UV rays will darken any pigment on the surface.   SPF should be worn absolutely everyday no matter rain or shine as we are always being exposed to UV Rays.

 Tyrosinase Inhibitor (Or Pigment Blocker)

Tyrosinase is the enzyme in the skin that controls the production of melanin (pigment).  We use ingredients in our skincare which slow this enzyme which in turn slows the melanin which is important in the treatment of pigmentation, if we only treat what is visible on the surface of the skin but do not control what is happening beyond the surface the pigmentation will continue to surface.

Brightening Ingredients

While the tyrosinase inhibitor is working below the surface we need to also work on skin at surface level to fade the visible pigmentation. We do this with particular skin brightening ingredients like AHA and BHA acids which work to dissolve the skin cells built on the surface to reveal the new skin cells underneath brightening the skin.

We recommend the Ultraceuticals Brightening serum as it combines both tyrosinase inhibitor and brightening ingredients

Read more on the Ultraceuticals Brightening Serum Here 

 

In Clinic Treatments

Photo Rejuvenation

Photorejuvenation is using IPL with the heat and light attracted deep into the skin focusing on the pigment, it then shatters the pigment allowing it to come up through the layers of the skin and slough away.  Photorejuvenation is a very popular treatment option as it offers virtually no downtime and is highly effective.

After one session of IPL for pigmentation

Peels 

We have a range of peels used for pigmentation which work at dissolving the surface skin cells revealing the new skin cells and fading the appearance of the pigmentation.  We usually combine peels with photo rejuvenation so while the photo rejuvenation pulls the pigment to the surface the peel with dissolve it away.

Needling

CIT Collagen induction therapy or skin needling can also be an excellent treatment for pigmentation as we are stimulating the growth of completely new skin cells as well as breaking up the pigmentation in the skin.
Needling would be the 1^st choice for post inflammatory pigmentation caused by acne as there is usually scarring present also and CIT is our ultimate treatment for scarring.

Want to know more? Read our CIT Needling blog here

 

Want to start treating your pigmentation?

Come and see us for a complimentary skin consultation and you can speak to one of our skincare experts about what course of action is best for you.

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