The article was prepared by a specialist for informational purposes only. We urge you not to self-medicate. When the first symptoms appear, consult a doctor.
Skin pigmentation can hardly be called an adornment of either a female or a male face and body. This applies to both large stains and minor defects. A healthy skin color, free from any formations, is the goal you need to strive for, and high-quality anti-pigmentation creams will help you achieve it.
What are pigment spots
Age spots are areas where there is too much melanin, a pigment that protects our skin from sun damage. These include freckles and moles, uneven areas of darkened skin of a dark brown hue. As a rule, they are clearly visible on the face, under the eyes and around the mouth. They can also be on the arms, neck and décolleté.
Pigment spots appear in women over 35-40 years old. Sometimes they disappear on their own over time. But most often they have to be removed, and this is quite difficult.
There are several types of pigmentation:
- Freckles: a scattering of small light brown dots. With the onset of spring, they appear in the area of the nose and on the cheeks, but they can also appear on the entire face. Freckles appear in people with fair skin (blond and red hair) when the sun becomes active. The presence of freckles indicates a lack of melanin.
- Lentigines: small pigmented spots, most often found in older people, indicate aging skin.
- Chloasma: large pigment spots that often occur during pregnancy due to hormonal changes in the body (then, as a rule, they go away on their own) or with serious diseases that impair the functioning of the liver, kidneys, and pituitary gland (require a doctor’s diagnosis).
- Birthmarks (moles): benign congenital spots or spots that appear over time that are dark brown or black in color. They come in different shapes and sizes, but they remain in a benign state and practically do not change. If a mole grows, changes color, or its edges become uneven, this is a reason to consult a dermatologist as soon as possible.
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Cosmetologists' opinion
The use of whitening creams in the fight against freckles will be effective if you use cosmetics correctly. Creams that provide pigment bleaching are recommended to be used in the evening. And before going outside, be sure to use sunscreen.
If you do not use sun protection, then it will be useless to fight freckles; they will appear again and again.
It is recommended to purchase whitening cosmetics at a pharmacy ; counterfeits can easily be purchased in supermarkets. And it’s good if it turns out to be just a “dummy” and not a product that can harm the skin.
When choosing a product, be sure to consider your skin type . You should not rely on the experience of your friends. What is perfect for one girl may be completely useless for another. It’s best to consult a cosmetologist before purchasing a whitening cream.
Causes of age spots
Depending on what kind of pigmentation we are talking about, the reasons for its occurrence can be very different:
- constant exposure to UV radiation;
- hormonal disorders: endocrine diseases, pregnancy, taking contraceptives;
- disruption of the liver, gall bladder, kidneys;
- taking certain medications;
- age-related changes.
Let's talk in more detail about those age spots that arise due to prolonged exposure to the sun. How to avoid them and what to do if they already exist, we will consider further.
The effect of the sun on the skin
A lot has already been written and said about the positive effects of the sun on our body. The sun is a very powerful source of energy and health. Sunlight invigorates, helps you get up in the morning, and energizes you. Who among those living in the middle zone or further north has not at least once felt sad over the statistics of sunny days in November-December? It has been proven that residents of these regions experience a lack of sunlight, a source of vitamin D, almost all year round. Children, especially young ones, who are prescribed this vitamin almost from birth, are also in dire need of it.
Many of us love to sunbathe. Previously, pale skin was in fashion (remember how many poets sang about white shoulders and white hands), and women carefully hid from the sun. Now everyone who can tan beautifully and evenly is in a hurry to do so as soon as the opportunity arises.
Unfortunately, the sun, like everything useful, is harmful in large doses. It is the skin that suffers the most, because it receives aggressive ultraviolet radiation. Severe sunburn is not only painful and incapacitating for several days, but also dangerous afterwards. It has been proven that burns suffered in childhood can have a delayed effect and cause skin cancer in the future.
But even seemingly insignificant pigmentation on the face causes discomfort. The skin looks unhealthy, such spots are poorly hidden by foundation. In addition, they are very difficult to remove.
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Homemade cosmetics
Despite the wide selection of ready-made cosmetics, some girls prefer to make creams with their own hands. The advantage of this option is that it is completely natural; no preservatives or other artificial additives are used to prepare homemade cosmetics. The disadvantages of homemade creams include a short shelf life - creams can be stored for no more than three days only in the refrigerator in a tightly closed jar.
Cucumber
The basis of this homemade cream is lanolin . This is the name of natural wax obtained from sheep's wool. This substance can be purchased in pharmacies or online stores. To prepare a single serving we need 15 grams. In addition, you will need 50 ml of cosmetic stone fruit oil. It could be apricot or peach oil.
Place lanolin and oil in a fireproof bowl and add a full tablespoon of grated cucumber. Cover the dish with foil and place in a cold oven, turn on the temperature regulator to 100 degrees. Heat for 10 minutes (counting from the moment the oven heats up to the desired temperature). Then we switch the heating regulator to 50 degrees and leave our composition in the oven for another hour.
While hot (you can cool it a little so as not to get burned), strain the mixture through a strainer, putting gauze folded in half into it. Now you need to start whipping. Ideally, you should use a small mixer, but you can use a regular one by removing one attachment from it. Beat until cool, the cream should thicken. Apply the finished cream every evening, 2 hours after application, remove the residue with napkins.
Citric
There are several options for homemade lemon-based whitening creams.
Here are a few recipes:
- Olive . The basis of the composition is unrefined, cold-pressed olive oil. For 50 ml of this product you need to add 5 ml of lemon juice and five drops of rose mala. Whisk everything. Shake vigorously before applying the cream. Apply every evening, remove the remainder after an hour.
- Honey-glycerin . To prepare, heat 10 grams of honey and mix it with a teaspoon of glycerin and 10 ml of almond oil. Add the mashed yolk and five drops of camphor alcohol and 15 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice into the mixture.
- On lemon peels . Wash the lemon thoroughly and cut off the zest. Finely chop the zest and pour 100 ml of boiling water over it. Cool and strain. Dilute 10 grams of honey in a warm infusion of lemon peels, add 50 ml of heavy cream and flax seed oil, as well as 20 ml of lemon juice. Add 10 drops of camphor oil. Whisk everything.
Honey
It is easy to prepare homemade honey cream with iodine tincture. To do this, add 10 ml of liquid honey, castor oil (warm slightly beforehand), and cosmetic Vaseline. Mix thoroughly, achieving complete homogeneity. Add five drops of alcohol tincture of iodine and lemon essential oil. Stir again.
With grapefruit
This homemade lightening cream is prepared using freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. We will need 15 ml of this product.
To prepare the cream, you need to melt 10 grams of cosmetic beeswax, add dropwise 30 ml of olive oil and the same amount of shea butter to the bowl with the wax. Stir until the mixture becomes completely homogeneous.
Remove the mixture from the heat, cool slightly and pour in grapefruit juice and rose hydrosol (30 ml), beat the mixture until it cools. Add three drops of lavender and chamomile esters to the lukewarm cream.
Getting rid of age spots
The best thing you can do is try to prevent the appearance of pigmentation. To do this, you must not neglect simple rules.
In summer, when the risk of burning is very high, spend less time in the sun. When leaving home, don't forget your sunglasses. The skin around the eyes is especially delicate; it is the first to take the brunt of ultraviolet radiation.
Be sure to use creams with SPF (Sun Protection Factor). Now there are decorative cosmetics with SPF: various BB creams, mineral powders and cushions. They simultaneously protect the skin and act as a foundation or makeup base.
Don't forget to monitor the UV index - a measure of the intensity of UV radiation and the risk to a person. This can be done by installing a weather app on your phone or by looking at special websites that monitor UV activity. Please note that bright sunlight does not equal high UV risk. For example, in the middle zone on a sunny frosty day you only need sunglasses. The UV index will be minimal, which means no danger to the skin. The indicator varies not only depending on the time of year, but also on the time of day.
What to do if pigmentation already exists? Getting rid of age spots is difficult, but possible. In particular, you can contact an aesthetic medicine clinic. To work with pigmentation, there is a whole range of procedures, which a cosmetologist will tell you about in detail. After consulting with your doctor, you will choose what is right for you:
- phototherapy
- cryotherapy
- chemical peeling
- ultrasonic peeling
- mesotherapy
- laser therapy
You can reduce or even completely remove pigmentation at home using special creams, scrubs, serums and peels.
So, a cream for age spots on the face acts in two directions:
- exfoliates and renews the skin with the help of active ingredients such as salicylic acid, various fruit acids, enzymes, etc.;
- slows down the production of melanin; Vitamins, acids (tranexamic and ferulic), and plant extracts, such as mulberry or licorice, help with this.
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How do retinoids work?
The mechanisms of retinoids that lighten age spots and even out skin tone:
- Inhibit tyrosinase
- Inhibit the process of pigment transfer into melanocyte pigment cells
- Normalize cellular renewal and stimulate timely exfoliation of pigmented horny scales from the surface of the skin.
- They stimulate keratogenesis - the appearance on the surface of the skin of cells with a normal, genetically programmed amount of pigment, i.e. normally colored.
- They work as conductors for other active ingredients, ensuring their deep penetration.
Retinoids are a group of substances derived from vitamin A. Due to their physiological effects on the skin, they effectively rejuvenate, eliminate acne and lighten the skin. Knowing the principles of operation and rules of application, Retinoids can achieve true correction of many skin problems.
