Winter Is the Best Time to Treat Facial Hyperpigmentation

The combination of laser procedures, peelings and mesotherapy comprises the most effective treatment option for pigmentation spots on the face, which prevents the skin from darkening.

What are the risk factors for the appearance of pigmentation spots?

Hyperpigmentation is a darkening of the facial and body skin that is caused by the accumulation of melanin in certain areas. This results from an excessive exposure to sunlight or a hormonal problem at an older age. It can also be due to certain inflammatory processes such as acne, trauma or medication intake, which are more typical of youngsters.

What are the main types of hyperpigmentation?

The most frequently occurring types of hyperpigmentation include melasma, sunspots and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Melasma is a condition that causes the development of dark discoloured patches on the skin. It is believed to result from hormonal changes in the body and it often occurs during pregnancy. The darker patches of melasma typically appear in a symmetrical pattern with matching marks on both cheeks of the face, but they can also appear on the forehead, the bridge of the nose or the chin.

Sunspots are flat brown areas of skin discolouration, and they appear on the body parts subjected to the greatest sun exposure, such as the face, the shoulders, the back, and the back parts of the hands. Their incidence is higher after the age of 40, but in some people, they may develop earlier or later in life, depending on the respective amount of sun exposure they have taken. Sunspots do not require treatment. They are non-cancerous skin formations, and they are usually removed for purely cosmetic reasons.

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation develops as a result of an injury or inflammation to the skin. The common causes of this problem include acne, eczema, and impetigo, but any type of trauma or irritation to the skin could potentially lead to its development. It results from the overproduction of melanin or the abnormal post-inflammatory deposition of melanin in the epidermis or the dermis. The manifestations of this condition include tan, brown, dark brown, or even blue-gray patches and spots on the skin.

Which are the most common causes of hyperpigmentation?

Excessive melanin production is probably the most common cause of hyperpigmentation. The changed hormone levels in pregnancy may lead to an overproduction of melanin in some women, and an excessive sun exposure can also spike its levels in the body.

Furthermore, certain medications and chemotherapeutic drugs can also lead to hyperpigmentation as a side effect.

And a third possible cause of this condition can be the rare Addison’s disease, which can produce a hyperpigmentation that is most obvious in the typical sun exposure body parts, such as the face, the neck, the hands, as well as the parts that are highly exposed to friction, such as the elbows and the knees.

How is hyperpigmentation diagnosed?

A dermatologist should perform a physical examination and identify the type and cause of hyperpigmentation. Most likely, the examination would include an inspection of the skin under a special light (Wood’s light) and a series of questions regarding the patient’s medical history, their sun exposure, as well as other relevant lifestyle habits and events. In some cases, a biopsy on a small sample of the skin may be performed to rule out the diagnosis of skin cancer. Eventually, a treatment plan would be set up to suit the needs of the individual patient. If the patient has noticed any further symptoms in addition to their hyperpigmentation spots, they should definitely report these to the doctor. 

Are there any effective preventive measures to take against hyperpigmentation?

The first step towards your spotless skin is to expose yourself to UV light more rarely. Try to avoid exposing yourself to the sun during the time of the day when it is strongest – typically, between 10:00 AM and 16:00 PM. Secondly, the year-round use of sunscreen products is highly recommended. They protect you from the appearance of new pigmentation spots and they can also break down the melanin that has already been synthesised. It is important to apply them regularly – every 2 to 4 hours. In addition, it is possible to apply specialised acid-containing products to affect the pigmentation in the different skin layers. Their selection requires consultation with a specialist.

A modern treatment

The treatment of pigmentation spots includes the application of whitening agents, mesotherapy, PRP therapy, microneedling, chemical peelings, as well as apparatus procedures. The combination of several methods ensures a complex approach and better results.

Nonetheless, no matter how harmless the peelings may seem, they must be controlled, as they can cause serious damage if applied incorrectly. As a next step, or in combination with the peelings, it is possible to use mesotherapy with whitening agents that reach the deeper pigmented skin layers.

The laser therapies can be based on the IPL systems or the fractional microplasma technology, which is the latest introduced innovation. The former provide a good opportunity to affect pigmentation spots of different types and depth through a wide spectrum of ultraviolet radiation. The method of fractional radio frequency microplasma (Accent Prime RF Pixel) through ablation (exfoliation) destroys the pigment even at a greater depth. Simultaneously, it also stimulates the synthesis of new collagen and elastin in the skin. The rapid tissue recovery results from the alternation of laser-affected and laser-unaffected areas that resemble small bridges. The procedure ends with the infusion of a cocktail of active substances such as collagen, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, as well as growth factors. They penetrate the skin through the channels and microtraumas induced by the microsparks.

Recommendations

The combination of laser procedures and chemical peelings produces the most powerful and rapid effect.

In order to achieve the optimal results, it is necessary to apply the procedures with the previously prescribed medication therapy repeatedly, so as to suppress the reactivity of the pigment-releasing cells and reduce the possibility of inflammatory trauma. Hydrating agents and therapies are applied additionally, so as to shorten the recovery period and to produce an even more enhanced effect.