Hyperpigmentation Be Gone

We’ve been lied to.

Getting rid of hyperpigmentation is not a job for 1 product, it’s a team effort. That team is a crew of select products.

Like any great team, each member has to play their position for the greater good. In this instance the aforementioned greater good is our skin, free from the shackles of hyperpigmentation.

While every now and then one ingredient becomes the super star of the beauty world, in the fight against hyperpigmentation, there are no stars. It’s giving - no I in team.

I’ve tried a random product here and there that promised to get rid of this issue - dropping major coinage on brands like Murad and more that I can’t think of at the moment.

It’s not that the products I tried couldn't have helped, it’s just that I wasn’t seeing the full picture.

What’s the full picture you ask? Well, I’m about to share what has (finally) been working for me. As always, please do your own research. I’m hoping this gives you a great place to start.

I’ve broken this down into 4 categories:

Intercept

Reject

Protect (&repair)

SPF

I use 1 product per category at a time and split into AM/PM. Product instructions guide me on that part.

I’m not a dermatologist, just a beauty pro who loves to take care of my skin.

Intercept
Tyrosinase inhibitor. This basically means to prevent the over production of melanin that results in those hyper pigmented spots. I learned to incorporate a product that plays defense and it has definitely upped my anti hyperpigmentation game. I need to re-up and honestly I’m curious about Faded by Topicals which has 3 Tyrosinase inhibitors - azelaic acid, kojic acid and tranexemic.
I’ve tried the Naturium Tranexamic Acid 5%. which retails for about $20 USD.
Another one sitting in my bathroom and showing promise is the Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum with 2% Tranexamic Acid.

Both contain Niacinimide which has a ton of benefits, including improved skin texture, moisture retention and overall supports the skin’s barrier.

Heavy Hitter: The infamous one has now entered the chat: You need a prescription and it’s not recommended or even safe for some but under the guidance of a board certified dermatologist, it’s a powerful tyrosinase inhibitor. Of course I’m talking about Hydroquinone. Yes, I know. (Gasp!) My derm recommended not using it for more than 3 months. I’ve heard others recommend 4-6 months, but I like erring on the side of caution.

A word on application: I like to take a q-tip, apply the smallest amount of product then address the specific areas of hyperpigmentation.

Definitely not applying this like a serum.

Now let’s move on to phase deux, shall we?

2. Reject

Time for new skin.

So far we’ve put the over production of melanin in a headlock with step 1 and now we’re making it impossible for existing marks to overstay their welcome.

Exfoliation is key, I can’t get into physical exfoliation on my face but from the neck down, I love using the Face Halo body mitt, it has two sides/textures.

I had a glycolic toner that my face could not tolerate. So, I started using it on my body. Several days a week, after I get out of the shower I towel off a bit and apply the glycolic toner to the new hyperpigmentation on my body. I’ve given up on all my old scars but maybe I should include them?

For this my face, I like Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA or Ren’s Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA toner but please, do not use this product every day. Start with twice a week and try building up every couple of weeks. 2-3x a week works for me.

It’s also worth noting that BHAs tend to be more sensitive skin friendly.

If you’re like me and enjoy having another more gentle option, consider The Ordinary’s Mandelic Acid 10%. When I use this, I like to drop the tiniest bit into my facial moisturizer. Wake up with skin like buttah!

Lactic acid is another beautiful and gentle acid and is generally well tolerated, especially at lower percentages.
There are body lotions like those made by Amlactin Ultra which contains 15% lactic acid.

Heavy Hitter: Rx Retinoids - of course there are OTC retinoids/ but nothing hits quite like the hard stuff in this case. I love my Altreno tretinoin.

In the past I’ve used Retin-A micro. Both work. Altreno is a more elegant formula in my opinion and it definitely elevated my experience.

3. Protect (&repair)

Vitamin C might be MVP of protecting our skin from the shady, sabotaging/damaging effects of free radicals and the sun.

I’ve used Ustawi’s vitamin C. Full disclosure, it has a scent that likely naturally occurring. It’s faint but it’s definitely giving fragrance free. I like that my reactive skin was calm the whole time. I emptied one.

Next I started using the Paula’s Choice C15 Super Booster. I feel like the vitamin c may be more concentrated in this one, I can’t use it every day but using it every other day/up over the past 2 months, I’ve notice brighter/more radiant skin.

Another great way to incorporate this powerhouse ingredient is in a CE Ferulic formulation.

Skinceuticuals’ CE Ferulic was the first one I tried. They pioneered this. It’s great, and definitely on the higher end. Then I discovered the Timeless 20% C+E Ferulic Acid Serum searching for a dupe. I would say it’s a good substitute.

I have the Mae Love’s which has a serious cult following, my friend Bettina recommended it and I ordered it right away. Almost a year later I ended up working with the brand. We love organic partnerships. Since I have 2 Vit C products, I’ve been using this on my newly acquired body hyperpigmentation.

On the repair front, it’s Niacinimide for me. It’s an IT Girl for a reason. If you watched our IG live you know that a couple of the products mentioned here already are formulated with Niaciminde.

I loooove Face Theory’s Cera - C Toner. It had 5% Niacinimide plus vitamin c, B5 and ceramides.

A lot of people swear by The Ordinary’s 10% Niacinimide but I found it to be irritating for my skin.

4. SPF

We can’t talk protection without talking SPF. Technically this could’ve been added to #3.

If you’re addressing steps 1-3 then going into the sun raw dawg, just throw the whole routine away. It will 100% sabotage your efforts and your results.

There’s so much info out there on sunscreen. I’m gonna keep it simple with my fave Elta MD.

The unspoken, unofficial and most important step in all of this is patience. Our skin has its own turnover process and new skin has the opportunity to be revealed, but if nothing changes then nothing changes. So I don’t know about you but I’m trying to support my skin so it can do what I want.

Am I completely in even skin-ville? No, but for the first time I’m seeing changes that say I’m actually on my way to something close enough for me. At least on my face.

This could’ve been waaaay longer but I feel like we’re in a good place to end.

If you use some of the links listed, in 3 months I can buy an oat matcha latte lol. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments 😊