How To Get Rid of Skin Pigmentation?

We often hear the phrase ‘love the skin you’re in’ and at The Secret Garden, we are all about being your best self and loving who you are inside and out. That doesn’t mean, however, that you don’t have things you’d like to change or improve, and one of the complaints we often hear from clients is about dark patches of skin on their face, neck or hands.

Many of you will recognise the shiny face above and if you have not heard about my own pigmentation journey then please do ask. The faces you see are both mine showing how my life progressed into skincare by my own desire to get rid of my mass of freckles. Even on my lips!!! Can you spot the difference?!

What is skin pigmentation?

Skin pigmentation simply means the colouring of someone’s skin. It can appear as freckles, sun spots, age spots, or any dark patches that have developed. Many of these are brought on by sun exposure – the one thing that ages your skin more than anything else. My top tip for everyone who visits my clinic is the same; use mineral sunscreen every day of the year, no matter where you live, what you get up to, or whether you plan to be inside and outside! Prevention is always better than cure.

What Causes Skin Pigmentation?

Pigmentation happens when melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin (pigment), become active in response to sun exposure or hormones. They tend to be more noticeable with age and repeated sun exposure. The more pigment you have in your skin, the more vulnerable you are to shifts in that pigment and patches or freckling developing, so your genes do play a role.

Is Skin Pigmentation Dangerous?

Skin pigmentation is benign marks caused by sun exposure or hormones - it is not dangerous and can be treated with skincare and skin treatments. However, some skin pigmentation may be a sign of dangerous changes in the skin which may need to be reviewed by a dermatologist before they are removed or treated. Malignant (cancerous) pigmentation can appear in many forms but we take care to review blemishes carefully before starting any treatment. If you have a blemish which is asymmetric, has irregular edges, is not evenly coloured, or is larger than 6mm and growing or changing in shape, you should get them checked by a medical professional as soon as possible.

how To Get Rid Of Skin Pigmentation?

Removing pigmentation is not a quick fix and must be done over time, but the good news is that it can be removed with the right approach. The first step will always be to start a daily sunscreen routine, removing the cause of your dark spots before moving on to a treatment plan. I say this about everything (because it’s true!) but there is no single way to tackle pigmentation, and every plan of action is tailored to your skin and your lifestyle.

If you have melasma, chemical peels and care at home will be right for you, but if your issues are with sun spots or freckling, laser skin treatments can offer excellent results. The trick is to keep the pigment on its toes by using a combination of key ingredients and treatments, breaking down the cells that are there and stopping any more from appearing later on so that you can be confident in your glowing skin all year round.

Does Pigmentation Go Away?

Treated correctly skin pigmentation will improve significantly, but it will return if you don’t take care to protect your skin. As is often the case, a good skincare routine carried out at home is key to success. If you buy an amazing fast and beautiful car you wouldn’t expect it to stay beautiful if you don’t wash it and put oil or petrol in it. In the same way, if you have state-of-the-art skincare treatments but don’t nourish your skin every day with great ingredients, you won’t maintain and progress the results.

Working with clients to deliver results in removing pigmentation is just one of the ways we use our years of clinical expertise at The Secret Garden, helping you to properly care for and truly love the skin you’re in. If you want to discuss treatments or just get an initial consultation about skin pigmentation, we’re always happy to help.