My Approach to Pigmentation on Darker Skin.
I am confronted daily with various pigmentation problems and to be honest, it is a huge challenge. No single modality or combination of modalities could possibly treat all the causes. A major problem is also the perception of how long it should take to treat and the realisation that even when treated on a regular basis, skin pigmentation problems are not necessarily eradicated.
My approach to pigmentation is a combination of modalities and is different for various skin types. The apparent cause of the pigmentation as well as the ethnicity of the skin and lifestyle of a client must be taken into consideration.
For Caucasian skins, I would do an IPL program, combined with superficial chemical peeling (although I do not do deep peels) and then very importantly, the home care. On Asian and African skins, I would combine Chemical Peels and the home care, adding Carboxy in either case if there are sunken acne scars or active acne.
For home care, I have been very happy with the results provided by the DermaPlex range (www.essel-uk.net) - specifically, the DermaPlex Anti-Dark Spot Serum
I have included a photo of a male client who suffered from chickenpox and was left with very dark marks all over the face. He took the photos himself and did not do any treatment, just used DermaPlex Anti-Dark Spot Serum faithfully for 2 -3 months and came to show us his skin. I think this illustrated quite beautifully the efficacy of the product.
It is vital to acknowledge continuous stimulus on pigmentation — one being hormonal stimuli, for e.g. Oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and HRT, but also that induced by the sun. One thing I see clients not realising is that melanocytes are cells of neural origin, which means they ‘send messages’ and if the arms or legs burn, then after about a week, the pigmentation on the face becomes darker.
My client’s often do not understand why this happened even though they had sunblock on their face. Remember to protect the skin as a whole (Apply Sun Protection 30 or above) — not just one part — as the skin is a single, very intelligent organ.
By Dr. Liesl Room
