How to Get Rid of Hyperpigmentation.

Hyperpigmentation is the dermatological term for persistently appearing dark spots on face, hands, neck, décolleté, shoulders, back, and other parts of the body’s skin. This phenomenon occurs as a result of a disturbance in the pigmentation process: melanin, the pigment responsible for the natural coloring of the skin, is overproduced in certain areas. The spots that appear then are of variable size and impact the uniformity of the complexion. They can cause some discomfort in the daily life of the subjects concerned.

Hyperpigmentation affects all skin tones, but is most common and visible in darker skinned people. Hyperpigmentation can be divided into three categories:

• Melasma: This can be caused by hormonal imbalances and often appears during pregnancy (this is called a pregnancy mask). Pigment spots usually fade within a few weeks after delivery.

• Lentigo: Also called liver spots or sun spots, its appearance is related to excessive and repeated sun exposure. These spots are usually found on exposed areas, such as the hands and face.

• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: It results from an overproduction of melanin after an inflammation (wounds, burns, blemishes, acne outbreaks).

Please note:The use of certain perfumes and the use of certain medications, such as oral contraceptives, anti-malaria drugs and Imipramine, can also be causes of hyperpigmentation.

How to get rid of hyperpigmentation? To completely eliminate these irregularities, aesthetic medicine is often effective. Nevertheless, there are less invasive and gentler cosmetic pigmentation spot treatments to largely attenuate the appearance:

• Using treatments containing anti-spot active ingredients.

Among the compounds known for their lightening activity, we particularly mention azelaic acid, arbutin acid (or alpha-arbutin), licorice extract (INCI: Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract), retinoids, ferulic acid, niacinamide and vitamin C.

If your dark spots on the face are similar to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation marks, the PHA 14% + Centella asiatica anti-marks serum will be your best ally. This treatment is designed to improve the appearance of superficial closed and shallow scars through the resurfacing and depigmenting action of PHA combined with the regenerating action of Centella asiatica. It also contains licorice extract, which reduces the hyperpigmentation of post-acne marks. Apply one drop locally to the affected areas, at night only.

If your spots are more likely to be due to melasma or lentigo, apply our hyperpigmentation serum with 2% alpha arbutin and lemon extract (INCI: Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Water) to clean, dry skin every morning and evening. We recommend that you use this serum daily, morning and night, for a minimum of 6 weeks in order to see the effects on the reduction of your pigmentation spots.

Vitamin C is also a powerful multi-functional antioxidant and brightening agent that helps protect the skin from free radical damage. So, during your morning and/or evening beauty routine, you can apply several vitamin C-enriched skin care products. On clean, dry skin, after cleansing, first apply the Vitamin C Radiance Toner, which also contains Lemon Verbena Water (INCI: Lippia Citriodora Leaf Water) for a light fruity scent. Concentrated in active ingredients to regulate the skin's pH, brighten the complexion and reduce the appearance of dark spots, this toner is applied with a cotton pad over the entire face, avoiding the eye area, and does not need to be rinsed off. You can then use the radiance face serum highly concentrated in vitamin C (11%). This treatment also contains 3% Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract (INCI: Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract). This plant of Asian origin restores vitality to the skin. Together, these ingredients help slow down photoaging and prevent the appearance of dark spots. Also, in the morning, if you want to even out your skin tone for the day, our tinted serum is also enriched with vitamin C and provides light coverage and a natural finish to the skin.

• Exfoliate your skin daily with AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) or BHA (beta hydroxy acids).

These molecules eliminate the keratinocytes by breaking the ionic bonds, thus destabilizing the stratum corneum and causing its progressive detachment. The most common AHAs are glycolic acid and lactic acid. Glycolic acid is smaller than lactic acid, so it penetrates deeper into the epidermis and is therefore more irritating. For this reason, lactic acid-based chemical peels are recommended for the most sensitive skin. Thus, depending on the reactivity of your skin, you can use the gentle peeling serum Lactic acid 10% + acerola extract or the exfoliating serum Glycolic acid 10%. Without rinsing, these treatments stimulate cell renewal.

The most common BHA in cosmetics is salicylic acid. Its antibacterial properties make it the active ingredient of choice for chemical exfoliation of combination to oily skin with imperfections. After your skin cleansing, to rebalance the skin's pH, you can also use our purifying tonic with 1% salicylic acid.

• Scrub your face and body with adapted care.

Mechanical exfoliation also helps to eliminate dead cells loaded with melanin. Unlike the chemical exfoliation mentioned above, exfoliation should be done on a weekly basis to avoid damaging the hydrolipidic film. For the face, we recommend the radiance scrub. This melting gel with apricot kernel micro-grains, unclogs pores and promotes cell renewal, for a smooth skin, an even and luminous complexion. For the body, choose the nourishing scrub, particularly adapted to dry and uncomfortable skin.

Please note: The first solution to fight against skin hyperpigmentation remains prevention. To avoid the appearance of lentigo-type pigmentation spots, it is essential to protect yourself from the sun's UV rays with a sun protection product adapted to your skin tone. Our facial sun creams have an SPF30 and an SPF50. These protective products are enriched with aloe vera, karanja oil and hyaluronic acid from fermented wheat. The clever blend of these three components prevents photoaging while retaining the skin's moisture.