Does Hyperpigmentation Go Away?
Hyperpigmentation happens when an excess amount of the pigment responsible for skin colour, known as ‘melanin’, is released by cells deep within the skin. There are a wide number of causes, including injury to the skin, acne, eczema or other causes of inflammation, sun exposure and hormonal changes including pregnancy.
Hyperpigmentation is very common and in the vast majority of cases it is completely harmless. It presents itself as darkened patches of skin, more often than not found on the face. Although harmless, most people are often quite keen to know whether or not those discolored patches of skin will go away by themselves, how long they take to go away and whether or not anything can be done to speed up the process. Read on to find the answers you are looking for!
Does hyperpigmentation go away?
Hyperpigmentation can go away on its own, dependent on the cause, but it may take a long time to fade. Some cases of hyperpigmentation may never go away completely. If hyperpigmentation is caused by injury, then as the skin heals the discoloration will lessen as melanin is absorbed into the tissue surrounding the injury. For people with dark skin tones, however, hyperpigmentation can often be more severe and long lasting due to the higher amount of melanin found in darker skin, therefore making it even more important to take preventative measures such as using suncream.
How long does hyperpigmentation last?
How long hyperpigmentation lasts will vary from case to case. For post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), without any treatment at all it can take anywhere from three months to two years for the discoloration to fade, depending on how dark the patches are, and even then it may not disappear completely.
How long hyperpigmentation lasts, and whether it can be treated or not, will also depend on whether it’s the epidermis that’s affected (the top, outer layers of skin) or the dermis (the deeper layers of skin). For hyperpigmentation of the dermis, treatment such as laser therapy is often required to remove or reduce the discoloration of the skin. Hyperpigmentation of the epidermis, however, can be simpler to treat using specialist skincare products.
How to make hyperpigmentation go away quicker
There are a number of ways to speed up the process of reducing and even getting rid of hyperpigmentation completely. One such way is to maintain a daily skincare routine that repairs and rejuvenates the skin. At Epara Skincare, we create specialist products for women of colour, and many of our products are designed with tackling the effects of hyperpigmentation in mind.
If you have hyperpigmentation, you can speed up the healing process by using a combination of our hydrating serum and moisturising face cream on the affected area every day. Our hydrating serum brightens the skin due to the Licorice Root Extract ingredient, and our moisturising face cream includes the anti-inflammatory Shea Butter within its ingredient list. Together these two products create an excellent treatment for hyperpigmentation and should be used alongside sun protection to stop the discoloration from getting worse.
You will find a number of other potential treatments for hyperpigmentation in our blog titled ‘How to get rid of hyperpigmentation around mouth’. You can also view our full range of skincare products to find one that works for you.