PREVENTING AND TREATMENT OF BROWN SPOTS?

Brown spots, also known as age spots or pigmentation spots, are a sign of a pigmentation disorder. To understand their appearance, it's necessary to examine the skin's pigmentation process. Generally benign and superficial, brown spots often appear on the face, forearms, chest, upper back, hands, shoulders, or lower legs. Manifesting as brown spots, they are often associated with a sign of skin aging. To best treat brown spots, it's important to determine their origin and define the appropriate skincare routine.

Where do the BROWN stains come from?

Pigmentation spots are areas of discoloration on the skin that result from a dysfunction of melanocytes (the cells that produce melanin, responsible for skin colouring and protection against harmful UV rays) which produce an excessive or insufficient amount of melanin, causing clusters of pigment or, conversely, depigmentation.

The causes of brown spots

There are different types of brown spots:

The sun

The main culprit is sun exposure. UV rays induce photoaging and disrupt the distribution of melanin. Pigmentation spots appear primarily on the parts of the body most frequently exposed.

Skin aging

Caused primarily by free radicals, these are known as age spots. Free radicals are produced by our bodies during oxygen metabolism. They destabilize cells and trigger an oxidation reaction called "oxidative stress." Many factors contribute to the growth of free radicals: sun exposure, pollution, smoking, anxiety, stress, and an unbalanced diet. They overload epidermal cells, resulting in premature aging, collagen breakdown, blemishes, and brown spots that dull the complexion.

Hormones

Hyperpigmentation marks are also caused by hormonal changes . Taking the contraceptive pill, pregnancy, and menopause are factors that can lead to the appearance of brown spots. Indeed, hormones stimulate melanocytes, thus causing an overproduction of melanin.

Taking medication

The spots can also be caused by taking certain photosensitizing medications.

The scars

An injury, a burn, or acne can weaken the skin, leave scars, and make the epidermis more vulnerable to dark spots. These conditions trigger an inflammatory process that produces enzymes. These enzymes, combined with UV rays, increase the risk of developing a dark spot. This is known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Other causes

Sometimes, brown spots can be the result of using overly aggressive or frequent skincare products that sensitize and weaken the skin. Or they can be the result of genetic factors that predispose individuals to developing skin spots.

Preventing the appearance of brown spots

The best way to treat dark spots is to follow simple daily preventative measures. Skincare, sun protection, and a healthy lifestyle are key. The first step is to protect yourself daily from UV rays with sunscreen and limit your sun exposure time.

Adopt a natural and gentle routine

To maintain skin quality and help it defend itself naturally, it is recommended to adopt a complete and gentle skincare routine, adapted to your skin type.

– Remove makeup from your skin daily to eliminate impurities, makeup and pollution.

– Follow with a gentle facial cleanser to complete the deep cleansing.

– Next, apply a natural antioxidant serum. The serum helps treat a specific problem and supports our skin's regeneration process.

– Once or twice a week, exfoliate; this stimulates cell renewal.

Active ingredients for treating brown spots

If dark spots are already present, there are cosmetic treatments based on exfoliating and antioxidant ingredients that can be used preventively or as a treatment. These active ingredients work in different ways to reduce the intensity of pigmentation and even out skin tone: they exfoliate the skin or help boost the cell regeneration and repair process.

These treatments may contain powerful antioxidants such as vitamin C or certain plant oils like prickly pear seed oil (one of the richest in antioxidants) that help reduce hyperpigmentation. Exfoliation can also play a role by accelerating cell renewal and thus evening out skin tone.