Dark Spots On Face Removal | Best Treatments

Dark spots on face removal

After the summer, many women have developed dark spots on their faces and want to lighten them. We know how to achieve lightening of hyperpigmentation and dark spots. In this video, you’ll learn why pigmentation occurs, the types of spots,  which methods can improve your skin tone. and what you should avoid doing?

Important advice: Watch this video until the end. I will share a home care routine for those who suffer from facial pigmentation.

What causes pigmentation on the face?

Pigment spots are areas of melanin accumulation. Melanin is the pigment responsible for the color of your skin, eyes, and hair. The amount and color of melanin are inherited genetically from your parents. Increased accumulation of melanin in certain areas is triggered by external or internal factors.

External factors:

- Exposure to ultraviolet rays

- Skin trauma

- Allergic reactions

- Age-related changes

Internal factors:

- Hormonal changes

- Taking antibiotics such as tetracyclines, gentamicins, erythromycin, antihistamines, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

- Kidney diseases

- Vitamin deficiencies

To determine the method for lightening pigmentation, you need to know its type.

The most common types of pigmentation

Freckles. They tend to become brighter under the sun and may fade on their own with reduced sun exposure in fall and winter. The second characteristic is that it’s impossible to get rid of them completely. You can make them lighter and less noticeable with effective home care and cosmetic procedures.

Birthmarks or nevi. They can appear at any age and on any part of the body. Sun exposure increases their number. People with birthmarks are strictly prohibited from sunbathing due to the risk of melanoma – skin cancer. A nevus can be removed with a laser or a laser knife. It is essential to visit a doctor and undergo dermatoscopy first.

The third type of pigment spots is solar lentigo. These spots are larger than freckles and do not fade in the fall-winter period. They most often appear on mature skin and become more pronounced with age. Removing such spots is very difficult. They are resistant to peels, injections, and lightening skincare products. The only effective treatment is laser therapy, which lightens the pigment. After a course of treatment, lentigo can be completely removed.

The fourth type of pigment spots includes hyperpigmentation, melasma, and chloasma. These are Large coffee-colored pigment spots. They are more common than other types and are usually localized on the forehead, cheeks, chin, and above the upper lip.

Their appearance is often related to hormonal changes in the body, such as during pregnancy, lactation, or while taking contraceptives and other hormonal medications. They can disappear on their own, for example, after breastfeeding ends, within 1.5-2 years. But they can also remain.

Treating this pigmentation is a long and complex process requiring a course of procedures. Step by step, they improve skin tone and lighten the spots but unfortunately you won’t be able to get rid of them completely. 

Where pigmentation correction begins?

You must know the main rule for starting pigmentation lightening. If you think about jumping straight to laser resurfacing, that’s incorrect. It can worsen the situation. First, the skin needs to be prepared. The first step is to create an individualized home care routine with your aesthetician, normalize hormonal balance if possible, avoid sun exposure, and identify the cause of hyperpigmentation.

We begin preparing the skin for more intensive treatments with peels and hyaluronic acid injections.

What peel lightens pigmentation?

For pigmentation, I recommend to start with lighter peels and then add up the course of retinol peel, and azelaic acid peel at your aesthetician’s office. These peels will lighten the skin and spots. A course is necessary for results. The number of peels is determined individually based on skin condition, pigment depth, and the age of the pigment spots.

Injections to reduce pigmentation. Why are they necessary?

Vitamin C mesotherapy injections help to fight with pigmentation. But you need to know that one procedure won’t be enough and you should undergo the course of 6-8 procedures

Hyaluronic acid injections can also help to boost skin immunity, hydrate the dermis, increase skin recovery resources, and enhance results. Check out SkinVive by Juvederm. The advantage is that you don’t need a course; one procedure is enough. Watch our detailed video about SkinVive (pointing up to a clickable link).

What to choose for pigmentation lightening: laser or IPL/BBL?

One of the most effective machine procedures for lightening pigmentation is IPL phototherapy and fractional laser resurfacing with ResurFX.

Laser and IPL treatments are based on the principle of selective photothermolysis. Melanin cells are sensitive to specific rays. When the laser or IPL targets the skin, melanin absorbs the rays and breaks down. It then rises to the skin surface in small portions and gradually exfoliates. This raises the question – which to choose: ResurFX laser or IPL phototherapy?

A machine  skin diagnosis is performed to determine the depth of pigmentation.

If pigmentation is superficial, located in the epidermis, we recommend IPL treatment to break the pigment into smaller particles and remove it. It takes about 4-5 sessions with intervals of once every 3 weeks.

If pigmentation is deeper, located in the dermal layers, we choose ResurFX laser treatment because the laser penetrates more deeply. This requires 4-5 sessions at intervals of once a month. It’s important to understand: the deeper and older the pigmentation, the more procedures are needed.

Advantage of hardware methods for pigmentation lightening

The first advantage is that we don’t damage the skin! After IPL, the skin will only have redness and darkened pigment spots. The redness disappears in a few days. Pigmentation darkens for 7-10 days, resulting in lighter skin.

ResurFX laser doesn’t damage the epidermis as it is non-ablative. After the procedure, there will be slight swelling and the same darkening of the pigmentation. Note that there are also ablative lasers that damage the skin and should not be used for melasma and chloasma, as the damage can worsen pigmentation.

The second advantage of IPL phototherapy and ResurFX laser is that, along with affecting the pigment, we stimulate skin renewal, collagen, and elastin production, making the skin firmer and more toned, while evening out its tone.

The third advantage is that these methods are suitable for lightening pigmentation on the face and other body areas, such as the décolleté, hands, or back.

You can also choose to get IPl together with ResurfX in one procedure to achieve better results. The procedure like that is called photofractional. 

Skin care for pigmentation

As promised, here is the home care routine for pigmented skin. It’s a very important step that you should never forget doing if you want to lighten your skin or get rid of some pigment spots. 

Your  main goal is to lighten the skin and reduce melanin production. Effective products contain specific ingredients: Retinol, Hydroquinone, Vitamin C, Arbutin, Kojic acid and  Azelaic acid. If you want to know how to use retinol and hydroquinone correctly to achieve the best  results, write in the comments and I will tell you in the next video. 

Many professional skincare brands offer special lines for pigmented skin. For example, ZO Skin Health has a Brightening Program and effective retinol creams. We’ll leave a link to the official store in the description.

Your daily routine should stay the same. In the morning, cleanse, tone, hydrate, and protect from the sun. Always use SPF cream and reapply every 2 hours. Add products with active ingredients that reduce pigmentation to your evening routine.

If you face pigmentation issues, don’t delay addressing them. Consult specialists. We wish you good luck, and see you in the next videos!