My skin care routine for hyperpigmentation is first and foremost
a routine that has worked for me for several years.
Here is my ***DISCLAIMER***: Everyone has different skin. Factors such as climate, sensitivities, age, or medication, just to name a few, can affect results. Also, skin care brands occasionally change the ingredients in their products. So, as new advanced skin care products emerge to address hyperpigmentation even more effectively, and more information becomes available on how diet affects hormones, I may adjust what and when I use products.
That being said, just to give you a background history on my skin, I am upper-middle aged and I had a steady dose of unprotected sun exposure throughout most of my life since sunscreen was not popular while I was growing up.
Also, being Asian is another strike at being more prone to hyperpigmentation. My skin had so much sun exposure throughout my life that I started developing hyperpigmentation when I was 19, and it got really bad by 26. It was at its worst by 28.
The Melasma patches were all over my forehead and a large dark spot developed on the left side of my jawline and cheek.
I now have to manage it and if I am out in the sun for an extended period of time, even with sunscreen, I do notice that it slowly starts to come back.
Those of you who are reading this and have not seen this video on
Can You Cure Melasma? The 3 Truths of Melasma
please watch this to find out why your Melasma may not be disappearing.
My Skin Care Routine for Hyperpigmentation: Change Your Products with the Change of Seasons
Since I work with different types of skin every day, I am very aware of the slight changes in my own skin and my clients’ skin that I have worked on for years.
They may not notice a difference, but I notice the slight changes in their pore size and the texture of the accumulated sun damage that has become visible.
My skin care routine for hyperpigmentation starts off with the right cleanser. The cleanser is the foundation of all your skin care products.
How to Apply Skin Care Products in the Correct Order
For example, if you have oily skin and you are using a cleanser that is NOT EFFECTIVE in breaking down the excess sebum, the environmental pollutants, and dirt that oil attracts and holds, the other products that you are layering on top cannot work effectively, and for some people, they begin to notice small bumps on their face.
It is important to remove as much dirt, oil, make up, sunscreen, etc. from the skin before beginning the regimen. These could all cause a barrier and keep the other skin care products from working properly.
You will notice in the video that depending on if my skin is oily or dry, I may use the same cleanser twice for a double-cleanse OR use two different ones to address specific skin conditions.
One cleanser that I use is the Restore Facial Cleanser and Body Wash. It is paraben-free, has no synthetic fragrances, and its foaming agents are NOT from sulphates. It is a water-based, gel foaming cleanser. It will NOT strip the acid mantle.
I will use this especially if my face is oily. I will also use this after a day of exercise or I have been sweating.
This cleanser is also very effective for my waxing clients who tend to get bumps and ingrown hair from waxing. It is best with combo-oily to oily skin. I will use this twice as a double-cleanse when my skin is oily.
It does have a small amount of salicylic acid for a slight exfoliating property but it is not considered an exfoliating cleanser.
So if you tend to get bumpy skin, ingrown hair bumps, or have normal to combo-oily skin, you may want to try this.
It also is a pretty good price as a little goes a long way and most cleanser sizes usually hover around 3 ounces to 6 ounces and this is 8.5 ounces.
During the Winter time, my skin has a tendency to become dry, so sometimes I will use the MD Dermaceutical Renew Cleanser and Body Wash. This is a very luxurious-feeling foaming cleanser that uses a low level of lactic acid to gently exfoliate (and lactic acid is an AHA that is hydrating).
It is a rich cleanser that does not have silicones to make it feel smooth. It also does not have any added sulphates .
The pH of this works really well with many of the products I work with so this is why I like this cleanser. This cleanser may not work well with clients who have oily skin, breakout-prone skin, or extremely sensitive skin.
I only use an exfoliating cleanser if I need that extra boost in exfoliation, but too much exfoliation can over-sensitize AND over-dry the skin, so I only use an exfoliating cleanser occasionally vs every day.
However, some skin types need more exfoliation because their skin cell turnover rate is slower and they find that if they do not exfoliate, they will slowly start to form bumps over time or they find that breakouts become more frequent.
If you find that your skin has flesh-colored bumps, red bumps, and/or pustules, the MD Dermaceutical Duo Action Cleanser may work for you. This also is quite effective in addressing Keratosis Pilaris.
How to Smooth Bumpy Skin-Two TIPS Plus a SECRET TIP
Multi-Layered Approach to Skin Care for Hyperpigmentation:
One key factor to remember about skin care products that target hyperpigmentation is that the very same product you are using to lighten hyperpigmentation can ALSO darken hyperpigmentation if you use it incorrectly.
For example, most products that target hyperpigmentation will have some sort of exfoliating ingredient such as an AHA to help speed up the skin cell turnover rate and help remove the pigmented dead skin cells.
When using products that contain AHAs, this can make your skin more photosensitive to the sun. This can make your skin more prone to create more melanin if your skin can tan very easily.
Even with sunscreen, some skin types will see a darkening of their skin if the skin is getting sun exposure. This is why some skin care products that target hyperpigmentation will have a caution on the label to use it with sunscreen. What it may NOT say is you should only use the product at night.
My skin care routine for hyperpigmentation also includes using an exfoliating product that I can use three different ways.
I can use it mixed in with my cleanser, use it alone as a scrub, and for deeper exfoliating benefits, I can use it as a mask once a week.
It not only has several different exfoliating ingredients but it also also has added brighteners. This product also works great on clearing bumps and break outs.
Ageless Resurfacing Mask Review
I use this as a scrub two to three times a week (depending on the season) and this really preps my skin to increase the absorption rate of the MD Dermaceutical Age Reverse Brightening Serum which helps keep my hyperpigmentation at bay.
I only use this at night.
I let this completely dry and then I will use the MD Dermaceutical Refresh Eye-Firming Cream. However, as I am writing this, I am using something else for dark circles and trying it out for 30 days to see how well it works.
After I let that dry, I will spray my toner. The reason why I love this toner is because I have used it on my clients who have rosacea, sensitive, oily, normal and dry skin, and it seems to work well with all my clients.
It also has the added benefit of having anti-inflammation ingredients as well as the ability to help increase the efficacy of other anti-aging ingredients when used with serums and other anti-aging products.
I spray that 5-7 times during the Summer and sometimes 7-10 times during the Winter when my face feels dry.
While my face is still wet, I will use:
Iluma Intense Brightening Cream to address hyperpigmentation – This is a treatment cream to address hyperpigmentation without using hydroquinone. It helps to lighten and brighten hyperpigmenation by using tyrosinase inhibitors to prevent the melanin from turning brown.
Best Treatment Options for Melasma
Hyperpigmentation Treatments for Dark Skin: Black Skin Asian Skin and Fitzpatrick 4-6
0r the MD Dermaceutical Overnight Repair Cream.
I use the Overnight Repair cream because it has a great balance of humectants, emollients, and occlusives for my skin. The third ingredient is a vitamin C derivative. This particular type of vitamin C helps with anti-aging and hypergpigmentation, but it does not irritate the skin or inflame the skin (inflammation can increase hyperpigmentation).
This cream also works well with many types of skin and works well to help with the Tyrosinase inhibitors of the brightening cream.
This is especially helpful for darker skin types where more aggressive products can cause an increase in melanin production and even hypo-pigmentation for some.
Day Time Skin Care Routine for Hyperpigmentation
Everyone focuses on sunscreen. There are not many sunscreens that have ingredients that focus on lightening hyperpigmentation along with added anti-aging benefits AND are a moisturizer. This is 100% mineral-based sunscreen
Make Up and Hyperpigmentation:
Although I use a daily sunscreen with SPF 30, I STILL use a make up with SPF 30 so it will NOT dilute the sun protection factor by using a different SPF.
How to Use Your Sunscreen and Make Up. Do You Need BOTH??
I do add on Translucent Powder that is known to help with hyperpigmentation that has been used for centuries by the women of Japan. This is because instead of using a translucent powder made from corn or silica, the centuries-old powder is derived from rice.
Rice is known to have brightening agents and lightening agents. I use a combination of a smaller brush and a big fluffy kabuki brush.
Here is a review I did on the benefits of this powder:
Best Translucent Powder for Oily AND Dry Skin
So this is what I mean by a multi-pronged approach: I use a multi-layering method by using several different products to help lighten hyperpigmentation . One single product cannot be as effective as layering different products to help with hyperpigmentation.
Especially because I am not using hydroquionone or using Retin-A to avoid inflammation, I tend to have more sensitive skin, especially since I have become older and my skin is not quite the same.
There are a few more steps I use in the video that I did not include in this post.
So, until I find another product that works really well, thank you again for stopping by!
Remember, “Make Up is an ART and Skin Care is a SCIENCE.”
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