New Year, Same Problem? Rewrite Your Hyperpigmentation Story in 2020

 

It’s 2020! The start of a brand new year. Are you still trying to figure out how to get rid of stubborn hyperpigmentation? It is one of the more difficult skin issues to defeat, but with the right regimen and a bit of patience, it’s a battle you can win. Let’s make 2020 the year you say goodbye to dark spots, and hello to brightness.

 

Start by taking stock of your current regimen and habits to make sure you’re not doing anything to encourage or prolong hyperpigmentation.

 

Sun Protection is a Must

Since UV exposure both stimulates new melanin production and deepens existing pigment, protecting your skin from the sun is the easiest way to guard against hyperpigmentation. Make sure you’re protecting your skin daily with SPF even during the winter months. Day Treatment Lotion SPF 15 is a non-greasy moisturizer with SPF that can be used under makeup or on its own for daily defense against damaging UV.

 

Augment your sun protection with a vitamin C & E serum. Already a powerful foe of harmful free radicals, antioxidant vitamin C is strengthened when paired with vitamin E. Studies show that together, these antioxidant superstars deliver four times the antioxidant protection of either alone. Plus, vitamin C is a natural brightener and collagen stimulator.

 

Vivant’s Spin Trap® Antioxidant Serum takes advantage of this potent synergy by combining the two antioxidant heroes in one high-performance formula to neutralize free radicals, protect from damaging UV, and brighten the skin for an even tone and radiant glow. Use it as a booster for other targeted serums.

 

Control Inflammation

Hyperpigmentation is often the result of trauma to the skin. Breakouts, bug bites, even scratching or picking at your skin, initiate an inflammatory response that stimulates pigmentation.

 

If you experience breakouts, avoid picking at blemishes. Instead, rub ice over the blemishes for two to three minutes to constrict blood vessels and calm inflammation.

 

Look for anti-inflammatory ingredients to calm irritation and head off a melanin response. Many anti-inflammatory ingredients do double duty as melanin-inhibitors, making them both preventive and reparative. Niacinamide offers multiple benefits—anti-inflammatory, ceramide boosting, antioxidant, and it blocks melanin from reaching the surface of the skin.

 

Aloe is a great soother and healer, but It’s also an active melanin inhibitor. The aloe vera plant contains two chemicals—aloin and aloesin—that have been shown to reduces excess pigment in the skin. Aloin aggregates and shrinks melanin deposits in the skin while aloesin prevents melanin formation by blocking the production of tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for melanin production. Make Totaloe Soothing and Hydrating Gel part of your regimen to cover all bases—calming, repairing, preventing—in the brightening game.

 

Mandelic acid is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, cell-renewing, and a melanin-inhibitor, making it an excellent choice for reducing excess pigment. It’s especially good for dark or sensitive skin because it’s larger molecular structure gives it a slower absorption rate. That translates to minimal irritation and less chance of reactionary hyperpigmentation. Dr. Fulton pioneered the use of mandelic acid specifically for treating acne in dark, hyperpigmentation-prone skin tones.

 

Increase Cell Turnover

Pigment resides in the base of the top layer of skin, so the removal process requires increasing cell renewal to break down excess pigment. Physical exfoliation a couple of times a week will help speed the process of fading dark spots by removing dead skin cells and stimulating new cell growth. Be careful not to scrub too vigorously, which can irritate and weaken the skin barrier. Avoid harsh products and overly coarse pads or brushes.

 

Try Vivant’s Mandelic Acid 3-In-1 Exfoliating Cleanser with antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and naturally brightening mandelic acid, plus polyphenol-rich green tea extract and grape seed oil for the ultimate cleanse and repair.

 

Stimulate cell renewal and speed fading with Daily Repair Pads. These textured single-use pads are steeped in a brightening and anti-inflammatory cocktail of mandelic acid, niacinamide, zinc peptides, lactic acid, and salicylic acid to help break up and fade excess pigment. Use them as step two (toner step) of your regimen for what is essentially a mini peel on the regular. They will also prep skin for better absorption of your serums.

 

Use a corrective serum designed to accelerate cell renewal. Vivant’s Vitamin A Propionate accelerates the fading of excess pigment by increasing cell turnover, causing layers of dead skin to shed more quickly. It is the retinol that most closely matches the molecular structure of Retin-A®, so it provides similar results without the irritation of its prescription counterpart, making it a better choice for treating hyperpigmentation.

 

Derm-A-Gel Daily Vitamin A combines the resurfacing effect of Vitamin A Propionate, the melanin-inhibiting and nourishing properties of niacinamide, and the brightening and cell-renewing attributes of lactic acid and kojic acid in one highly effective serum for reducing pigment and promoting and even tone.

 

For stubborn pigmentation issues, Vivant’s Bleaching Cream combines transformative vitamin A with the most potent of the brighteners, hydroquinone (2%) and kojic acid. It gets an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory boost from grape seed oil, oat proteins, and aloe leaf.

 

Try a Peel

Support your at-home regimen with regular visits to a skin care professional who can provide tailored advice and treatments that push your results farther. One of the best ways to juice your results is with a chemical peel, which removes the top layers of skin to rapidly improve skin texture, reduce discoloration, and promote regeneration. As a bonus, the newly regenerated skin is more receptive to additional products, so the benefits continue to multiply. Because a peel doesn’t involve the use of heat like laser procedures or friction like microdermabrasion, it’s less likely to stimulate an unwanted melanin response. While you will see immediate improvement with a ProPeel®, you’ll get your best results with a series of three or four peels about six to eight weeks apart.

 

Be Consistent & Patient

Excess pigment is a problem that’s rooted deep under the surface of the skin. Removing it is a layer by layer process of exfoliation and rejuvenation that takes time and patience.

 

The good news for hyperpigmentation treatment is that with the right products and consistent application, you can see a difference in four to six weeks that will continue to improve over time until you reach the dramatic difference you’re seeking.