Knowing that one in three women has hyperpigmented spots and that, for 90% of them, it is a major concern, here is how to find the most suitable care for your skin to reduce them.
The spots – actinic lentigines, in dermatological language – are mostly the result of overexposure to the sun. However, when the skin is exposed to UV rays and pollution, it is attacked by free radicals, which oxidize the cells and lead to the appearance of wrinkles, but also spots.
To counter this oxidative stress, limit the deleterious action of free radicals and therefore prevent the occurrence of dark spots, anti-dark spot treatments contain antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, polyphenols, resveratrol, mulberry extract.
To prevent their formation: vitamin C
To prevent the formation of spots, it is necessary to act upstream by blocking the mechanisms which generate the rise of clusters of melanin, responsible for the pigmentation of the skin, but also spots when it is poorly distributed. For this, it is necessary to target tyrosinase. This enzyme, involved in the manufacture of melanin, can sometimes be overzealous and create it in an anarchic way.
Vitamin C and white mulberry extract have the ability to inhibit it (in addition to being antioxidants).
To reduce stains: fruit acids
The first request is obviously to reduce the intensity of the spots that have already appeared. No cosmetic treatment can completely remove them, but some can reduce their intensity and the contrast between the spot and the skin around it. For this, the fruit acids allow a gentle exfoliation which eliminates the cells loaded with melanin.
To prevent inflammation: licorice extract
There is also an inflammatory dimension in the formation of spots, and some are the direct result of an inflammatory phenomenon (scars linked to acne, bites or wounds). Most treatments thus contain an active ingredient to calm these mechanisms: dexpanthenol, niacinamide (vitamin B3) or a liquorice extract (enoxolone, or glycyrrhetinic acid). And, more recently, tranexamic acid.
How to use it ?
To see real results, anti-dark spot treatments require patience and observance: if you can get a lightening after a week, they should be used for at least three months. They must necessarily be associated with the daily application of sun care, because the sun remains the first responsible for their formation. But the stains are repeat offenders…
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