By Kendall Farr, Licensed Esthetician, SPADA Skincare
You wear sunscreen daily in sunshine (and clouds). You reapply as directed. You wear a hat for added protection. And you consistently have new dark spots on your face. As quickly as they appear, dark spots can be frustratingly slow to fade. Here’s the good news. Dark spots can be targeted and corrected with at-home care that includes active ingredients to inhibit melanin production and promote cell turnover like kojic acid, retinol, vitamin C, and alpha hydroxy acids.
What Are Dark Spots?
Known as hyperpigmentation, dark spots appear darker than surrounding skin due to an excess production of melanin – the protective pigment responsible for skin color. When your skin is exposed to the sun, it produces melanin as protection, blocking UV radiation from damaging your DNA and the layers of your skin. If you have less melanin in your skin, you sunburn. If you have more melanin, it produces a tan as a defense. Sometimes sun exposure triggers an uneven increase in melanin production that causes clumping that spills in between skin cells. This results in visible dark spots. Here’s a breakdown of the different kinds of dark spots:
- Sunspots: brown spots caused by prolonged sun exposure are known as Solar Lentigines and they’re usually prominent on the face, hands, and arms.
- Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH): is a result of skin inflammation (and why your esthetician begs you to stop picking at your pimples). PIH can also appear after an eczema or psoriasis flare-up. Once the skin has healed, the injured area may appear darker than the surrounding skin.
- Melasma: is thought to be a combination of sun exposure plus hormonal surges – they commonly develop during pregnancy- causing a symmetrical, blotchy, brownish facial pigmentation often appearing on the forehead, upper lip, and across the cheeks
5 Ways to Fade Dark Spots
If your dark spots are noticeable and your skin tone is uneven it’s time to start a program for correction. An effective ‘spot intervention’ includes a combination of lightening plus regular exfoliation that accelerates progressive fading and creates visible changes in the skin. This is where your esthetician can guide you with an at home routine plus treatment facial options that can make a difference – faster.
- Start With a Targeted Serum Spot Corrector At Night
The function of a spot treating serum is to fade existing hyperpigmentation while it inhibits melanin production holding off the formation of new spots. The newest, cutting-edge spot correctors combine multiple active ingredients formulated to fade discoloration while boosting skin brightness like G.M Collin’s Dark Spot Serum. Targeted fading happens thanks to an encapsulated complex that includes kojic and tranexamic acids that deliver lightening directly into the skin cells while azelaic acid and niacinamide even out skin tone and increase overall radiance.
Bonus points: Dark Spot Corrector offers quenching hydration and plays well with other high-performance stars like retinol and vitamin C. - Reach For Retinol
It’s key to incorporate gentle exfoliation into your nighttime routine -a few nights a week- to remove dead skin cells that hold the excess pigment. Topical retinol like G.M Collin’s Retinol Advanced + Night Cream has a time released encapsulation that fades pigmentation as it eliminates dead cells. Use Dark Spot Corrector Serum each night and pair it with retinol a few nights a week. Read all about adding retinol to your home care here. - Incorporate Gentle Exfoliants
AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) exfoliants remove dead skin cells which boosts spot fading. G.M Collin’s Intensive Exfoliant Gel generates dark spot fading from glycolic acid and pomegranate enzymes while also providing hydration plus skin toning that reduces the appearance of pores. - Use Vitamin C Serum Daily.
Vitamin C stops melanin production inhibiting brown spots from forming in the first place. And by far, serum is the most effective way to deliver the full potency of vitamin C into the skin. Think of serum as what does the ‘heavy lifting’ in your skin care routine. Ideally, choose one formulated with encapsulation (there it is again) those tiny poly-saccharide spheres designed to hold active ingredients to deliver the vitamin C directly into the skin cells – resulting in skin that looks even-toned, firmer, and vibrant. Read all about vitamin C here. - Wear Sun Protection. Every Day.
This can’t be overstated. Every morning — rain or shine, clear or overcast, at the beach or in the basement — wear sunscreen. Sun protection is key in preventing the production of melanin and the worsening of dark spots. Look for a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and apply it daily – even on cloudy days. G.M. Collin’s SPF 45 Tinted Sunscreen is broad spectrum, formulated with 100 % mineral filters and has a super-light texture and a universal tint that blends easily to give skin an instant glow. Read more about sunscreen here.
In The Treatment Room
Enhance the effects of your home care as you brighten, lighten, and tighten your skin with a facial powered by vitamin C. The Sea C Spa is a powerful antioxidant treatment that layers high potency L-ascorbic acid, marine plants, and anti-aging multi-peptides. Vitamin C serum pairs with applied mineralized patches formulated to balance skin tone and diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles. A multi-ceramide mask follows to relieve dullness and dryness. The Sea C ‘glow’ delivers visible brightening with deep hydration.
Apply the 90 Day Rule
Every night your skin repairs itself. And a good rule of thumb is to think of every 30 days as a fresh new crop of skin cells. Or a month of change in your skin as your cells respond to the action of ingredients like kojic acid, retinol, vitamin C, and alpha hydroxy acids – all formulated to stimulate change in the cells resulting in an even toned, brighter (and firmer) barrier. So, lightening plus the action of a stimulant like retinol is truly visible after three cell cycles – or 90 days. Consistency -plus highly effective formulations- produces results. Book a consult or a facial here to launch an effective spot fading plan.