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Pigmentation

5 products

Pigmentation covers several distinct problems that look similar in the mirror. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the brown or gray mark left after a blemish or injury, and it fades on its own, slowly. Sun spots are flat brown patches built up over years of ultraviolet exposure. Melasma is a symmetrical, often hormone-linked pattern across the cheeks, forehead or upper lip that comes and goes and is genuinely difficult to manage. Red marks left after acne are not pigment at all but dilated blood vessels, and they resolve differently.Products work at different points in the pigment process. Niacinamide interrupts the transfer of pigment to surface skin cells. Vitamin C and its derivatives, azelaic acid and glutathione act on tyrosinase, the enzyme that starts pigment production. Tranexamic acid interferes with the signaling that triggers the process, and it has the most interesting data for melasma patterns. Gentle exfoliation helps surface marks clear faster.None of this works without sunscreen, and that is not a formality. Ultraviolet exposure restarts pigment production continuously, so an unprotected routine can spend months undoing its own progress. Expect eight to twelve weeks before judging any product, and expect post-acne marks to respond faster than sun spots, and sun spots faster than melasma.Melasma in particular is a medical condition with hormonal and vascular components, and a dermatologist has options that a cosmetic serum does not. If pigment appears suddenly, changes shape or is confined to a single new lesion, have it looked at rather than treated.Two options to consider: the Anua Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Dark Spot Serum and the Rohto Melano CC Concentration Measures Essence.