The winter months are ideal for undoing a lot of the damage your skin accumulates during the earlier half of the year, while also preparing your skin to look its best during photos and get-togethers (even virtual ones!) when the holidays come around. If you spent a lot of time outside during the summer months or tend to be prone to discoloration, hyperpigmentation might be a concern you wish you could improve. Hyperpigmentation is what happens when your skin produces an excess amount of melanin in certain areas due to exposure to sunlight or other causes, creating darker blotches that make your tone look uneven. The good news is that there are effective treatments available for lightening these marks on your face while reducing wrinkles and other types of sun damage at the same time. Patients can benefit from in-office procedures like microneedling and chemical peels. Mt. Vernon’s Skin Care Center of Southern Illinois team explains that these and similar options are established treatments for restoring dull, lifeless, or damaged skin.

Regardless of which method you choose, note that you’ll still need to be vigilant about sun protection—otherwise you’ll just be wasting your time with in-office treatments. It’s important to continue protecting your skin from sun exposure as much as possible to prevent additional damage. Put on sunscreen each day, and wear protective clothing. You can also improve the appearance of irregularities by including antioxidants—such as products containing vitamins A, C, and E—in your daily routine that help to repair damage.

Hyperpigmentation varies in severity, and certain treatments are better for some skin tones or types than others, so it’s better to talk to a dermatologist and put together a customized plan for your skin. The following are some quick options you can try out with virtually no recovery time.

Chemical Peels

Since the second half of the 19th century, people have been using peeling techniques as a way of correcting pigmentation irregularities on the surface of the skin—and other exfoliation methods are believed to have been done as part of skincare routines in ancient times! Peels involve applying a mildly caustic acid solution to the outer surface of the skin so that the dry, damaged areas flake away, and a newer layer of healthier, brighter skin emerges at the surface. Peels also stimulate new collagen and skin cell turnover. Hyperpigmentation will typically appear less noticeable after you’ve had a chemical peel in a dermatologist’s office, which is powerful than at-home exfoliation techniques and can give you faster results.

Microneedling

Microneedling is another skin resurfacing technique that involves encouraging the production of new collagen to improve the skin’s structure. Unlike peels, there are no chemicals involved. Your facial skin is pricked with very fine needles attached to a roller, creating a series of invisible micro-injuries that encourage the body’s wound-healing response. By promoting collagen remodeling, any blotchy areas, such as hyperpigmented spots, can be diminished. Microneedling is also beneficial for scars, wrinkles, lines, and loose skin.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

IPL is a light-based treatment that is non-ablative, meaning it targets skin concerns without harming the top layer of your skin or any other tissues—unlike some other laser skin resurfacing treatments. IPL enhances the overall quality of your skin, reducing hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, rosacea, spider veins, stretch marks, and several other conditions. This method encourages gradual collagen regeneration in the skin while heating and vaporizing the unwanted cells that pigmented spots are made up of using controlled pulses of energy. In most cases, patients will need to have multiple sessions to get the best possible outcome from intense pulsed light.

Self-conscious about sunspots, age spots, or melasma? Aesthetic procedures like chemical peels Can help. Talk to Mt. Vernon’s Skin Care Center of Southern Illinois about how to best enjoy a smooth, balanced, and glowing complexion. To learn about the skin care services, call 618.244.0031 or submit a contact form to request a consultation.