So you’ve skipped sun protection a few too many times, or maybe you have skin that is prone to developing dark spots. If you have hyperpigmentation, you might be looking for skincare products to help gently correct your skin tone without causing more damage.
At Furtuna Skin, we understand that taking care of hyperpigmentation is a two step process that involves more than just a vitamin C serum. Your skin needs gentle, effective ingredients to help minimize the appearance of dark spots and ingredients to protect from further damage.
Let’s talk about what hyperpigmentation is, what causes it, and what skincare products you need for a hyperpigmentation skincare routine.
What Is Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is a common condition that causes some areas of your skin to appear darker than others. This can create an uneven skin tone that looks splotchy or spotted.
Unless there’s an underlying skin condition, hyperpigmentation isn’t painful and isn't usually accompanied by itching or irritation. However, the areas of dark skin can make some people self-aware and can make it harder for you to find beauty products that conceal and visually correct these areas.
What Causes Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is caused by excess production of melanin in the skin. Melanin gives skin its color and also serves to protect the skin. Some stressors like sun exposure can cause extra melanin production, which can result in a suntan or dark spots.
Sun damage is the most prominent cause of hyperpigmentation in the skin. It’s crucial to protect your skin against sun damage by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Other causes of hyperpigmentation include:
- Blemishes. Blemish-prone skin can develop breakouts often. Picking or popping pimples can lead to acne scarring, a type of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that occurs when irritation causes your skin to produce excess melanin.
- Genetics. Some forms of hyperpigmentation, like freckles, are hereditary. Fading their appearance generally requires the assistance of a dermatologist and clinical-strength treatments.
- Hormones. Hormonal fluctuations like those that occur during pregnancy can create stress for your skin. This can result in dark spots, which are common in pregnancy.
- Certain medications.
- Dietary vitamin deficiencies.
While not all areas of hyperpigmentation can be corrected, there are products that can help reduce their appearance over time.
What Are the Best Products for Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation can affect numerous layers of skin. Addressing and correcting the discoloration requires breaking up excess melanin to slowly fade the appearance of dark spots. There are also products that can support your skin through stress, which may help prevent stress-related imperfections.
The problem? Some of the most heavily used skincare ingredients aren’t safe for all skin types. Sensitive skin, for instance, can develop irritation from powerful ingredients like lactic acid, glycolic acid, and retinoids.
These ingredients can effectively remove affected layers of skin. However, they can also deliver unwanted side effects like itching, burning, redness, and overall discomfort. These ingredients can also damage the skin barrier, weakening it and making it more susceptible to hyperpigmentation in the future. Some even have negative effects and may disrupt or stop your natural production of melanin, which ultimately reduces your level of skin protection. It’s all a balance — you want to minimize the dark spots and effects of over-production rather than disrupt your body’s natural processes completely.
What To Use
For powerful ingredients that are gentle enough for all skin types, look to the land — not the lab. Some of the most effective ingredients for dealing with discoloration come from plant phenols and compounds.
- Vitamin C. This ingredient, found abundantly in plants and plant-based oils, is nature’s very own brightening serum. Also known as ascorbic acid, topical vitamin C can support an even-toned complexion and antioxidant protection to support your skin through environmental stressors.
- Bakuchiol. Commonly referred to as nature’s retinol, this ingredient delivers the same powerful benefits of retinol. Bakuchiol can remove dead skin buildup and support healthy skin cell turnover, all without any of the harsh side effects that come with topical retinoids.
- Antioxidants. Antioxidants such as niacinamide can help your skin defend itself against sun damage when used in addition to a daily sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.
What To Avoid
Hyperpigmentation can be tricky to address. Ingredients that are strong enough to slough away damaged skin can leave sensitive skin dry and irritated. If you’re dealing with an uneven skin tone but want to make sure you don’t further damage your skin with irritating ingredients, most experts recommend avoiding products that contain stripping ingredients.
These ingredients include:
- Salicylic acid
- Hydroquinone
- Tranexamic acid
What Is an Example Skincare Routine for Hyperpigmentation?
Skincare is about more than just correcting skin issues like hyperpigmentation. It’s about restoring skin to its natural state of balance so that it can function properly. At Furtuna Skin, our focus is on establishing clean beauty that is accessible for all skin types.
Our products are all formulated with our single-origin, organic extra-virgin olive oil. Extracted from olive trees grown on our private farm, our award-winning olive oil is packed with essential fatty acids, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and nutrients that can nourish your skin and keep it hydrated.
Caring for your skin and supporting it through hyperpigmentation can be easy when you follow this simple, five step process.
Cleansing
We recommend using a high-quality cleanser to keep your skin clean and help prepare it for additional products. Furtuna Skin’s Micellar Cleansing Essence works as both a cleanser and toner and can gently sweep away dirt, oil, and impurities without the harsh ingredients found in some exfoliating scrubs.
Formulated with five wild-foraged plants and packed with essential skin nutrients like hyaluronic acid, you’ll get the benefits of powerful cleansing agents without the harsh stripping effects.
Our cleanser is also formulated with Splendore Anchusa® Complex, which is clinically proven to block free radical damage by 100%.
Treat
Once your skin is clean, it’s time to apply ingredients that can help correct the appearance of an uneven skin tone.
Furtuna Skin Face and Eye Serum is a double-duty product that helps restore balance to the skin around the eyes and on the face. By fading the appearance of dark spots and brightening your skin tone, the powerful ingredients in this serum help naturally reduce visible discoloration. Packed with wild, organic anchusa azurea, which helps soothe skin and blur imperfections, you’ll notice a more even skin tone with regular use.
Anchusa azurea also contains vitamin C to help further brighten skin and protect it against free radical damage.
Moisturize
All skin deserves moisture, but especially damaged skin. Furtuna Skin Daily Renewal Cream helps provide daytime hydration that moisturizes all day long.
By helping support your skin’s natural moisture balance, our Daily Renewal Cream can help support balance for both dry and oily skin and bring them back to home base. Our cream also protects the skin barrier’s natural flora with a potent blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics.
This formula also features our proprietary Circadian Rhythm Complex, a synergistic blend of plant botanicals that helps reset the skin’s natural rhythm and protect against the effects of fatigue and stress.
Protect
Keeping your skin protected from further damage is essential when addressing hyperpigmentation. Doing so can also keep the dark spots you currently have from becoming darker and more noticeable.
That’s why we recommend Furtuna Skin Biphase Moisturizing Oil. This multitasking oil not only hydrates and nourishes, but also supports healthy stress responses in your skin. Our Splendore Anchusa® Complex blocks free radical damage, while our 360° Exposome Defense Complex® supports skin that is frequently exposed to digital blue light, UV radiation, and urban air pollution.
This level of free radical protection helps keep your skin safe against many sources of free radicals in your environment.
Rest Smart
Your skin does most of its reparative and restorative work at night while you sleep. That’s why it’s incredibly important to make sure you apply the right ingredients to your skin to provide support while you rest.
Furtuna Skin Nightly Renewal Cream can help your skin work while you get some shut eye. A healthy dose of bakuchiol helps to gently exfoliate skin without harsh scrubs or washes, removing dead skin cells and even reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Bakuchiol also supports regular skin cell turnover and helps break down compounds in skin that can cause dark spots. Ashwagandha and ceramides work alongside bakuchiol to help build a healthy skin barrier and restore skin while you sleep.
Don’t Stress Over Spots, Get Rid of Them
An uneven skin tone and areas of dark hyperpigmentation can feel overwhelming at times. Instead of hiding your hyperpigmentation, fight back with powerful, plant-based ingredients that are gentle enough for any skin type.
Furtuna Skin helps encourage healthy and thriving skin. By harnessing the power of plants, our skincare products can help care for your skin, minimize the appearance of dark spots, and bring balance to your skin. Trust Furtuna Skin to reveal your radiance and natural glow.
Sources:
Hyperpigmentation: Age Spots, Sun Spots & Liver Spots | Cleveland Clinic
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