The Beauty Bible skincare expert gives us the low-down on pigmentation problems and how we can treat them...

Last week a reader asked the Beauty Bible skincare expert, Caroline Parker from Dermalogica a question - read her answer below:

What can I do to minimize the slightly darker patches of skin on my face?

Hyper pigmentation is an over production of melanin which is the natural pigment our skin produces to protect us from ultra violet rays.

Before we can look at helping to even out your skin tone it is important to try and find what is causing your pigment producing cells to over respond.

Causes
While the amount of melanin we produce is determined by our genetics, there are environmental factors which can override our genetically determined skin colour and stimulate melanin production resulting in an uneven skin tone.

• Sun exposure is one of the most common causes of hyper pigmentation.

• Hormonal factors such as the use of an oral contraceptive pill or pregnancy are also common triggers. (In fact some studies show that up to 75% of women may develop hyper pigmentation during pregnancy and about 33% of women on birth control pills also complain of this problem.)

• Post inflammatory hyper pigmentation can be more of a problem in darker skins and is the result on an exaggerated response to injury by the melanocytes – ie pigment producing cells in our skin. This form of pigmentation can occur following an acne lesion.

Treatment
The production of pigment in the skin involves a series of chemical reactions which occur once the ‘make melanin’ message has been sent to the pigment producing cells. The latest technology focused on reducing pigment production in the skin uses ingredients to inhibit the enzymes and messenger triggers involved.

To make sure the active ingredients are available on the skin 24/7, you need to use a treatment system of products in which you will find cleansers and  exfoliants to prep the skin, treatment products to treat the skin.  as well as moisturisers which shield the skin from further UV induced pigmentation.

The treatment of skin pigmentation is a complex area so I would strongly recommend that you visit a qualified skin therapist for a Face Mapping Skin Analysis and product prescription.

Beauty Bible really loves Black Opal Advanced Dual Complex Fade Gel which is a skin lightening gel that gradually fades dark spots and discolourations caused by acne scarring, mask of pregnancy, freckles and birth marks.  This break-through formular combines Glycolic complex with Hydroquinone to even out skin tone.

Got a skin related question? Ask Dermalogica's skin guru Caroline Parker here...