Andrea's Skincare Battle With Pigmentation

I have suffered from pigmentation on my forehead since I had my first baby, so I have personal experience of the highs & lows of dealing with this skin concern! The best tip I can share with you is to learn how to deal with it. If your pigmentation is like mine, it will appear in summer and disappear over winter. It's about learning to choose the right skincare regime.

Here are my 5 top tips...

1 - Proven skincare

To begin with, choose a skincare regime of cosmeceutical products that are backed my scientific testing. Pigmentation is a difficult concern to treat and requires active ingredients in high percentages to target, treat & prevent. High street products will simply be a waste of time & money as they will not have the ingredients or potency to address the concern.

2 - Complete skincare regime

Unfortunately, you will not find an all-in-one product that will treat pigmentation on its own. You need a complete skincare regime because each product will work on different levels of the skin to treat & prevent pigmentation.

- What's needed in your daily skincare regime?

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are molecules that stabilise free radicals, preventing them from causing damage to the skin that often lead to pigmentation. They even help reduce the existing damage caused by free radicals. Best applied every morning.

Sunscreen SPF50

Since UV rays are a well-known trigger for melasma and can make hyperpigmentation darker, wearing sunscreen can help prevent melasma from flaring up and hyperpigmentation from getting worse.

Exfoliating products (AHA'S / Retinols)

Glycolic acid will peel or exfoliate away the outer layer of dead skin, to help the skin appear smoother and even out discoloration. Retinols work at a deeper level than glycolic acid to stimulate collagen and elastin production to smooth the skin's surface and improve texture and tone.

Pigment lightening treatment product

The most effective ingredients for skin pigmentation are kojic acid, alpha-arbutin, phytic acid, sabiWhite, chromabright, peptides, vitamin C, azelaic acid, liquorice and mulberry. A Pigment lightening product needs to be applied twice a day for the full benefit. In the morning cleanse, vitamin C then your lightning product followed by your SPF. At night cleanse pigment lightening product, retinol then your moisturiser.

3 - Consistency is the key

When you start your skincare regime, stick to it as a pigment lightening treatment that can take months to produce results. Many people use the products for a few weeks, don't see results in the short term and stop using the product. It is important to use the pigment lightening products twice daily and to make sure miss any days are not missed. You will require several months of consistent use before some results can be seen.

Another important thing to take on board is that your skincare regime is for life, not just to treat the concern temporarily and then stop. In the winter, my pigmentation disappears once I have incorporated a course of peels into my home skincare regime. However, I still continue to use an antioxidant, some exfoliation, pigment lightening products & of course sunscreen to reduce melanin cell production.

4 - Protect

The most important product is sunscreen - there is no point in treating pigmentation if you are not going to wear sunscreen all year round. You will be wasting your time and money on other products. During peak sun exposure I would strongly advise wearing a big hat as well. Additionally, taking Heliocare supplements during summer holidays as extra protection is recommended.

5 - Cover it

When my pigmentation is at its worst I tend to hide it well with tinted sunscreen. This is great as you are helping to hide it and protecting it at the same time.