Treating and preventing pigment spots

What are pigment spots?

Pigment spots, especially age spots, are considered unattractive, even if they generally do not pose a health risk. The brownish, non-raised skin discolorations make the complexion appear uneven and older. Hyperpigmentation such as age spots on the face can be covered up with make-up, but there are also ways to make pigment spots fade permanently. Dermatological treatments promise quick and lasting success, but they also bring with them unwanted side effects. Alternatively, there are many home remedies that are recommended, although unfortunately mostly ineffective. A much better option is natural cosmetic ingredients that are well tolerated by the skin and allow pigment spots to fade slowly without side effects.

Common types of pigment spots

There are four common forms of hyperpigmentation:

• sun spots or age spots
  usually occur after the age of 40. These small pigment shifts occur mainly in the areas of the body that are most exposed to sunlight: the face, neck area, forearms and hands.
• melasma
  have frayed edges and tend to be larger than other pigment spots. They are usually caused by hormonal factors such as an excess of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, for example during pregnancy. Melasma also occurs on areas of the skin that are particularly often exposed to the sun.
• Post-inflammatory discoloration
  such as pimple marks usually appear after inflammatory skin diseases such as acne or after skin injuries. When the wound has healed, a darkly pigmented area of ​​skin can remain due to an overproduction of melanin.
• freckles
  are small reddish to golden brown pigment spots on the face, arms and shoulders, which appear especially in summer on very fair-skinned people of the Celtic skin type with particularly light-sensitive skin. In the months with less sun, freckles fade again.

Are pigment spots dangerous?

In principle, pigment spots are harmless. Freckles are even considered attractive and emphasize a natural appearance. Other hyperpigmentations such as sun spots or age spots are considered disturbing, although from a medical point of view they do not need to be removed.

If, in exceptional cases, a pigment spot has an asymmetrical shape, a tapering border, dark and light color gradations, or grows or changes over a short period of time, this may be a degeneration and indicate a malignant melanoma or skin cancer. In such a case, you should have the hyperpigmentation examined by a dermatologist.

How do pigment spots develop?

The pigment melanin, which is produced by melanocyte cells, is responsible for the natural brown coloring of the skin as protection against sunlight. Melanin serves to protect the skin from cell damage. Dark pigment spots arise when the melanocytes of the epidermis, i.e. the uppermost layers of the skin, produce excessive amounts of melanin and local accumulations of the pigment occur.

What causes pigment spots?

Pigment spots can have many causes. These are the most important:

• UV radiation
  The formation of pigment spots is mainly related to excessive UV radiation from extensive sunbathing and a lack of sun protection.
• waste products caused by oxidative stress
  Pigment disorders caused by sun or age spots are also a result of oxidation processes in the skin. When the unsaturated fatty acids in the cell membranes are damaged by oxidative stress, waste products are created, e.g. as accumulations of the pigment lipofuscin. They become visible as dark spots.
• Genetic and hormonal factors
  A hereditary predisposition promotes the formation of pigment spots. Hyperpigmentation is more common in women than in men. Pigment disorders are further exacerbated by long-term use of hormonal contraceptives.
• diseases and medications
  Diseases such as an overactive or underactive thyroid or diabetes mellitus can also lead to hyperpigmentation. Some antibiotics or chemotherapy drugs also increase the skin's sensitivity to light.

Lighten pigment spots with natural active ingredients

Natural active ingredients such as vitamin C, bakuchiol or niacinamide are skin-friendly and proven to be effective in combating pigment spots and uneven skin tone. These natural active ingredients do not remove age spots immediately, but they do make them fade so that hyperpigmentation gradually becomes less and less visible.

vitamin C

Vitamin C ensures that melanin that has already been stored is removed more quickly from the darkened skin cells. Vitamin C also has the ability to inhibit new hyperpigmentation as it develops and to make the skin more even. With its antioxidant effect, vitamin C prevents environmental cell damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin C also improves the skin's own protection against UV radiation in combination with sun protection. The myrto Vitamin C Complex Serum is therefore the ideal addition to the Sunshine Day Oil and should become a permanent part of your skin care routine if you are struggling with pigment spots.

niacinamide

Vitamin B3 or niacinamide not only works against impurities and pimples, but it also inhibits the formation of melanin in the pigment cells, so that dark discolorations become lighter. Our Niacinamide Complex Serum contains 11% niacinamide. This makes it highly effective against hyperpigmentation such as age spots or dark pimple marks.

Bakuchiol

Bakuchiol is the natural and skin-friendly alternative to synthetic retinol, which is known for its potentially irritating side effects. Bakuchiol stimulates cell division, so that the upper layers of skin renew themselves more quickly and pigment or age spots fade significantly. The myrto Bakuchiol Serum contains a pure active ingredient content of 1% Bakuchiol. How can you prevent pigment spots?

Can you remove pigment spots with household remedies?

Home remedies such as lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, baking powder or raw potatoes are said to help against pigment spots and uneven skin tone. What is the truth in this?

• lemon juice
  The pH value of a fresh lemon is around 2.4. The juice, applied regularly to the skin in pure form, will therefore cause skin irritation. Lemon juice is also phototoxic and thus causes new pigment spots when exposed to the sun.
• apple cider vinegar
  The same applies to the acid in apple cider vinegar, which is said to have a lightening effect. The pH value is very low at 2-3, so apple cider vinegar also irritates the skin and prevents wound healing.
• baking powder
  It is recommended to mix baking soda with water and apply it directly to the skin. Baking soda has a strongly alkaline pH value of 9-10. Our skin, on the other hand, has a slightly acidic pH value of 5.0 to 5.5. Baking soda destroys the skin's natural acid protection and leads to irritation and itching.
• Raw potatoes
  They contain vitamin C and vitamin B3, which actually work against pigment spots. Raw potatoes also do not damage the skin barrier. However, the concentration of active ingredients is too low to achieve a visible effect.

Have pigment disorders removed dermatologically

There are various dermatological treatments for the medical removal of pigment spots and skin discoloration, but they all have unpleasant side effects.

• laser therapy
  In dermatological laser treatments, pigment accumulations are destroyed by laser light-based energy.
• microneedling
  During professional needling, a so-called derma pen with many small needles is placed on the hyperpigmented skin areas and repeatedly inserted into the tissue. The micro-injuries are intended to reduce annoying pigment spots on the skin and stimulate collagen formation.
• Microdermabrasion
  In this treatment, the top layer of skin is removed with a special polishing device made of the finest crystals to stimulate skin renewal, smooth the skin and reduce pigmentation disorders.
• cryotherapy
  In this method, the hyperpigmentation is frozen with liquid nitrogen. The extreme cold causes the hyperpigmented cells to die. The cold shock is intended to stimulate the formation of new collagenous tissue.
• peelings against pigment spots
  In this dermatological treatment, chemical substances, concentrated fruit acids or trichloroacetic acid are applied to the pigmented areas of the skin. As a result, the upper layers of skin peel off. This is intended to stimulate the formation of new skin cells.

Disadvantages of dermatological interventions

• skin irritations
  After dermatological treatments, there is a long-term increase in sensitivity to light, as well as increased skin irritation, redness, swelling or even scarring. After laser therapy, for example, the skin must not be exposed to the sun for at least 4 months - unless you use sun protection factor 50. Even after many months or even years, the skin that has been treated on a large scale is hardly able to regain its previous balance and build up a strong skin barrier. Skin that has been damaged in this way is even more susceptible to the formation of new pigment spots.
• vitamin D deficiency
  After dermatological treatments, a permanent, very high sun protection factor is necessary. This promotes a vitamin D deficiency, as the body's own production of vitamin D is completely prevented. This leads to a vitamin D deficiency, which manifests itself in constant tiredness, exhaustion and fatigue. A vitamin D deficiency can also be responsible for an increased susceptibility to infections, depression or hair loss.

How can you prevent pigment spots?

Consistent sun protection

To prevent pigment spots, consistent sun protection is essential. You should generally avoid the midday sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in summer. Extensive sunbathing is also not advisable if you want to prevent UV-related skin damage such as pigment spots. Protect your face, neck and décolleté with a sun hat, and protect your eyes with high-quality sunglasses. Cover the areas of your body that are particularly at risk with clothing made of natural fibers for effective sun protection.

care combinations

Care combinations work even better than individual products. But: Don't start with the highest concentration of active ingredients. Introduce one product after the other into your care routine - not all at the same time! One example is the combination of niacinamide and vitamin C serum, applied one after the other as a duo. While vitamin C primarily protects against harmful environmental influences as an antioxidant, niacinamide is also effective for impure skin.

Patience with deeper pigment spots

In order to effectively combat deeper pigment spots with natural active ingredients, you need a lot of patience. The deeper the dark skin pigment melanin is deposited, the longer it takes for the discoloration to visibly lighten. With deep melanin deposits, this can take several months, sometimes even years.

Antioxidants from within

You can prevent pigment spots not only from the outside, but also from the inside by including plenty of vitamin-rich fruits, raw vegetables and nuts in your diet, preferably seasonal and organic.

Conclusion

As you can see, nature offers a whole range of powerful active ingredients for your skincare routine, which can be used to remove pigment spots in a skin-friendly way and effectively reduce discoloration on the face. This will create the best conditions for an even, uniform complexion in the long term.