One of the major skin concerns, particularly in maturing skin and in the Australian climate, is pigmentation. Treatment of pigmentation may be easier than we once thought. However it's not something to consider just in summer, as there are all sorts of causes of pigmentation, so we need to be mindful of it all year round.
What Is Pigmentation?
If you look closely at the skin of a child, you will notice how beautiful their skin is -the tone and colour are even. As we get older and are exposed to various lifestyle and environmental factors, our skin tone changes. We may start to notice areas of darker colour and age spots appearing.
What Causes Pigmentation?
There are several causes of pigmentation including:UV Exposure
The most significant contributor to skin pigmentation is UV light. Melanin, which is a natural pigment found in your skin, creates the colour in your skin and protects the skin from UV exposure. Exposure to the sun stimulates melanin production in the skin and over many years, and overexposure to UV, the melanin builds up and will create dark areas on the skin.
Hormonal Changes
Pregnancy, menopause and taking birth control pills will change the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body. These hormones will stimulate the production of melanin and can cause pigmentation.
Illness And Medications
If you are deficient in vitamins or have an autoimmune or digestive problem, this can also cause pigmentation. Along with birth control pills, there are some medications that will stimulate the production of melanin.
Inflammation
If you have an inflammatory skin condition such as eczema or dermatitis, this can stimulate melanin growth resulting in pigmentation.
Genetics
Some cultural backgrounds are more prone to pigmentation.
Mature Skin
As we age, the production of melanin becomes unstable. This results in the skin looking patchy in places, lightening in some areas and growing darker in others.
Treatment Of Pigmentation
There are chemical peels available to treat pigmentation. However, we wouldn't recommend these as they are incredibly damaging to the acid mantel of the skin (the pH value) and will leave the skin susceptible to long-term damage. There is no quick fix to pigmentation. It requires a consistent routine, over a long period. But there are some practices you can implement to help you reduce the effects of it.
Lifestyle Detox
Reduce free radicals in your life. This includes alcohol, coffee, sugar and processed foods.
Foods
Ensure you are having lots of antioxidants in your diet to help rid the body of free radicals. Good sources of antioxidants are goji berries, cranberries, elderberries, blueberries, matcha green tea, 70- 80% dark chocolate; you can have a little treat. Eat foods high in carotenoids - such as carrots, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens and capsicum. They can be converted by the body to retinol (vitamin A) which is supportive for skin health.
Protect
Wear protection from the sun when outdoors (sunscreen, long sleeves and a sunhat) to avoid overexposure to the sun.
Skincare
There are all natural skincare products, with active plant extracts, that will naturally support the process of reducing and protecting the skin against pigmentation.
Olive Skin Serum
The olive squalene in this serum behaves very much like retinol and can help diminish the signs of ageing. It's a free radical scavenger and helps boost healing and oxygenates the skin cells.
2 in 1 Exfoliating Mask and Scrub
Including rice flour; an ancient Asian beauty secret loved by Geishas for its exfoliating, skin brightening and anti-aging benefits. It also contains native Australian Quandong Extract which works as a safe and natural AHA to exfoliate and rejuvenate the skin.
Acai Berry Active Antioxidant Serum
This serum contains powerful plant active phytonutrients such as Vitamins A, C & E, minerals, amino acids, Vitamin F essential fatty acids and anti-inflammatory properties of Phytosterols. These protect and defend our skin cells from free radical damage. Free radical damage can cause inflammation at the skin's cellular level, and increase the occurrence of age spots and pigmentation.
I hope today's post has been informative and you have some helpful and practical tips for better managing skin pigmentation. Do you have concerns around pigmentation? We'd love to hear about your thoughts in the comment section below.
Giveaway
To help you tackle pigmentation we have our two amazing serums for you. Our multipurpose Olive Skin Serum and Acai Berry Active Antioxidant Serum to keep your skin super hydrated and radiant during the cooler months (valued at $76.90).
How To Enter
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Note
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- You can enter only once.
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- Open to Australian residents only.
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- Competition closes Wednesday, July 13, 2016, 5 pm (EST).
- Winner announced Thursday, July 14, 2016.
This competition is now closed. Congratulations Shu!
