I feel that I am getting too much pigmentation, how can I reduce or lighten it?
Skin coloration is caused by the pigment known as melanin. Skin color depends on the amount of melanin present in your skin. This factor will be determined by the genes that you inherit from your parents. People who trace their family line to tropical regions where there is high UV exposure will have a naturally darker skin tone than others. Other factors that cause skin to be dark are hyperpigmentation, skin disorders, and too much exposure to sunlight.
What is Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation is a condition where your skin produces too much melanin. This makes the skin appear darker than usual. You can treat hyperpigmentation at home with some over-the-counter, do-it-yourself recipes to lighten your skin. These contain active ingredients meant to correct dark spots and patches and other pigmentation anomalies. Stay out of the sun if possible. When you have to go out, make sure you wear a proper sun block that protects you from the UV rays of the sun. Buy one that has PA+++ and SPF 30-plus written on the label. If you stay out too long in the sun, you need to reapply sun block every few hours. Use an umbrella or a hat to protect your face. If you suffer from hyperpigmentation on your arms, then wear a jacket or apply sunblock on your arms.
Remedies To Lighten Skin
Another useful remedy is exfoliation; it removes dead skin cells that could be causing your skin to look dull and lifeless. Use an exfoliating solution that has mandelic acid or L-lactic acid as its base. This should stimulate shedding of pigmented skin layers. Read the labels on your skin care products. Be careful about the pH value mentioned on products. Also look for the AHA or alpha hydroxyl acids concentration mentioned on the label. If AHA concentration is 15 percent and above, the product could irritate your skin and cause hyperpigmentation to get worse. A good exfoliating scrub with natural ingredients is also useful to get rid of hyperpigmentation. Use a scrub that has jojoba or ground apricot kernels. Be careful about not over doing the scrub, and be as gentle as possible on your skin to avoid skin irritations. Be careful about chemical skin lighteners as these can be light sensitive. The light sensitive variety will normally come in an opaque packing and this quality will be mentioned on the label. These solutions tend to make the skin thin and should be tried on a small patch of skin to test how the skin reacts to it.
