Everything You Need To Know About Pigmentation – And How to Treat It
January 8 | 5 minute read
Words by Christie Sinclair
Pigmentation, often caused by sun exposure (but also post-breakout scarring or changes in our hormones), is one of the unwelcome souvenirs from sun-soaked days – and it can really dull your glow.
Whether you’re battling stubborn dark spots, uneven skin tone and discolouration, or want to prevent these altogether, understanding pigmentation, and how to treat it, is key. In this guide, world-leading dermatologist and brand founder Dr Dennis Gross breaks down the different types of pigmentation, dives into exactly what causes pigmentation and explores effective treatments and expert tips direct from his New York City clinic.
What is pigmentation?
To understand pigmentation, we have to understand the role of melanin, explains Dr Gross. “Melanin is a substance made by human skin that has colour. The goal of melanin is to create a barrier to protect the skin from ultraviolet light. When melanin is released, it coats the entire thickness of the epidermis, so the individual starts to look a little tanned. With more sun, the colour of your skin may deepen because the skin is thinking that as the sun exposure increases, it needs more melanin to protect it.”
Pigmentation occurs when there’s excess pigment or melanin in our skin. “If you did a biopsy of pigmentation in the skin, it would look like we took black paint and literally just threw it against the wall making a splattering effect. That’s what it would look like inside the skin.”
What causes pigmentation?
According to Dr Gross, too much sun, hormones or inflammation can cause a number of different conditions where extra pigmentation or hyperpigmentation occurs.
Melasma
You may have heard of melasma, which Dr Gross explains, can be caused by a combination of both excess sun exposure and hormones. “Melasma is one of the conditions [where] you actually start to see areas of the skin or zones of the skin showing hyperpigmentation.” It commonly occurs in females during pregnancy when estrogen and progesterone levels rise “because the melanocytes, the cells that make melanin, have receptors for hormones.”
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
Another common condition is known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. “When the skin is inflamed due to irritation or your immune system attacking your skin causing redness and inflammation, oftentimes when that inflammation subsides, in its wake, as an aftermath, the skin just produces pigmentation in the areas where the inflammation once existed,” explains Dr Gross.
Sunspots
Those dark patches that show up when you’ve spent too much time in the sun? They’re known simply as sunspots or solar lentigo. Sometimes they look like larger freckles, but under the microscope, says Dr Gross, it looks very different to melasma or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. “With hyperpigmentation due to sunspots, these are caused by the sun and it’s a sign of excess sun or sun damage.” He continues: “Sunspots are a warning signal [of] other forms of sun damage. It could be collagen loss or fine lines and wrinkles [or] sagging – all those things we attribute to excess sun."
How to treat pigmentation
Good news if you're wearing your SPF daily, you’re already helping to prevent pigmentation. “Remember, sun can play a role in pigmentation, so always, always, always wear your sunscreen, regardless of the treatment you choose,” recommends Dr Gross.
The best place to start when tackling or preventing pigmentation is to use chemical exfoliants daily. These will help “slough off, disintegrate and remove that extra pigment,” he explains. But he cautions to always keep your skin in balance and never over strip it to avoid inflammation and irritation which can lead to pigmentation for some people.
There are two other key ingredients to include, which both work against excess tyrosinase (the naturally-occurring enzyme your skin needs to make melanin or pigment) production.
“Retinol will work to increase cell turnover, helping to fade that extra pigment throughout the epidermis, and also block that tyrosinase enzyme,” explains Dr Gross, adding, “Word to the wise, only use retinol at night because it can make you more sensitive to the sun. And always wear sunscreen.”
“And finally, the big gun: vitamin C. This will really put a halt on the tyrosinase enzyme by stopping the transfer as the melanin migrates upwards forming greater and greater layers of pigmentation.” Dr Gross prefers vitamin C with lactic acid, to help facilitate the absorption of vitamin C.
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. Sunscreen is only one form of sun protection. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and reapply as directed.
Professional pigmentation treatments
Sometimes stubborn pigmentation or discolouration requires more than topical treatments at home. In this case, Dr Gross recommends visiting your dermatologist. “There are treatments that can be done in a professional setting that are stronger and that may involve some lasers or deeper chemical peels.”
And if something isn’t responding to your treatment, Dr Gross says to consult a dermatologist or your GP to make sure it is simply an innocuous sunspot.
