Ever wondered, what causes hyperpigmentation? It’s a common concern and understanding its roots is key to tackling it effectively. Let’s delve into the details, demystifying the complex process your skin undergoes. Let’s explore the hyperpigmentation causes and solutions, simplifying the science.
Understanding What Causes Hyperpigmentation
Curious about what causes hyperpigmentation? It stems from a variety of factors. Environmental stressors, hormonal imbalances, sun exposure, and the natural aging process play their roles.
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When any of these things happen, your skin’s melanin production can go into overdrive, leading to those bothersome dark patches.
Even inflammation from skin injuries can trigger melanin production.
Think of all of these factors as triggers that set off your skin’s melanin production. And while melanin production is natural, when it is kicked into overdrive by stressors it leads to an undesirable result.
Hyperpigmentation Formation – Stress Underneath the Surface
Hyperpigmentation starts beneath your skin when triggers put your melanin production into overdrive.
Picture your body’s melanin production as a bustling distribution center. Stressors signal an influx of orders, causing the system to send your melanin production systems into overdrive to keep up.
Melanin is a protection molecule so when your skin is stressed melanin is one of the ways your body responds to protect you.
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Packaging – Melanin Production and Packaging
When your skin is stressed, it is usually because free radicals are produced. Free radicals are reactive molecules that are very damaging to your skin and need to be neutralized.
They start a vicious cycle in your skin because once your body senses free radicals it can actually be triggered to produce more.
Free radicals trigger melanosomes to produce melanin because melanin can help neutralize free radicals. Once the melanin proteins are produced they are packaged together and become the visible pigmentation you can see on your skin.
Keeping with the distribution center analogy this is similar to items in your order being collected and packaged into boxes to prepare them for shipping from the distribution center.
Skincare ingredients in the brightening category that specifically target stopping the formation of melanin are very popular.
Many of them target one of the precursors for making melanin called tyrosinase. This class of materials is typically referred to as tyrosinase inhibitors. Some of the popular ones are:
hydroquinone (the gold standard for skin brightening), arbutin, vitamin C, kojic acid, azelaic acid, ferulic acid, tranexamic acid, thiamidol, some flavonoids (like aloesin, resveratrol, and licorice extract) and nonapeptide-1.
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Transfer- Making the Hyperpigmentation “Permanent”
Once the melanin is fully packed up and is ready to leave the distribution center it has to be transferred to keratinocytes. This is the step when most people think of what causes hyperpigmentation they are thinking of. This is typically when the pigmentation stops being a red patch from irritation and becomes a dark spot.
Scientists have worked hard to find ingredients that interfere with melanin being transferred to keratinocytes. These ingredients can be helpful because if you can’t stop the melanin from being produced you can at least stop it from being incorporated into your skin’s barrier layer.
Which is when it becomes semi-permanent and this is also when it becomes stubborn and hard to get rid of.
The most popular and widely used skincare ingredient that does this is Niacinamide.
Traveling- A Slow Journey Through the Epidermis
Once the melanin is packed and transferred to your keratinocytes it’s like the package has come from the larger distribution center and is now at your local distribution center.
After it’s all packed up and ready to be handed off the shipping you select can affect how quickly it arrives to you and this is similar to the final step of getting rid of hyperpigmentation which is getting rid of what is already there. This is what gives hyperpigmentation its reputation of being stubborn because it takes time to get rid of. So the previous is the step is what most people think of when they are thinking about what causes hyperpigmentation and this is the step that makes it so stubborn.
The keratinocytes the melanin is transferred to are going to be where it stays. As your skin turns over, keratinocytes move from the lowest layer of your skin to the outermost.
Once they reach the outer layer they can be exfoliated or just fall off. However, this takes some time. And during this entire journey; they are carrying the melanin with them.
The speed of this journey is similar to shipping packages. Standard shipping (natural process) can take up to 12 weeks to see noticeable improvement. Express shipping (with exfoliation) shaves 1-2 weeks off. Super express shipping (using exfoliation and vitamin A) is the fastest and can take 4-6 weeks but priciest option.
Exfoliating acids like glycolic acid will remove the outermost layer of skin. This is helpful in the brightening process because removing the outermost layer of skin means removing those old keratinocytes holding into their melanin. Exfoliation can be incorporated into your routine 1 to 2 times a week to speed up the process. However, if you over-exfoliate then your skin barrier will be damaged because you are removing layers of skin before it can fully heal.
The secondary category of ingredients you can use to supercharge your brightening journey are Vitamin A derivates. The most popular cell turnover enhancers are vitamin A derivatives like retinol, adapalene, and tretinoin. These molecules increase how quickly new keratinocytes are produced which means you have a new fresh layer of cells faster so the old skin cells can be removed faster.
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References
The melanogenesis and mechanisms of skin-lightening agents – existing and new approaches
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
Skin whitening agents: medicinal chemistry perspective of tyrosinase inhibitors
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