Hyperpigmentation is when skin produces too much melanin in one area, leaving it darker than the skin around it. The three most common triggers are sun exposure, inflammation and hormones. Prevention comes down largely to daily sun protection.
Read next: How to Fade Acne Marks and Post-Acne Pigmentation
What is pigmentation?
Pigmentation refers to the colouring of the skin — the tone and colour given to your skin by the melanin present in the cells.
What is hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is a skin condition that causes your skin to darken. It can affect some parts of your skin or your entire body.
What causes hyperpigmentation?
Sun exposure
Sun damage is the most common cause, and it usually affects the parts of the body most frequently exposed. Improper protection from the sun, indoors or outdoors, makes melanin overactive — which means darkening, uneven tone and spots.
UV also darkens marks that already exist. Even when an acne scar is almost healed, exposure to UV can deepen it again depending on your skin type and genetics.
Inflammation
Inflammation of any kind triggers melanin overproduction, leaving a red, brown or tan spot on the surface. The immune system becomes overactive when the skin barrier is ruptured.
Severe acne is the most common form of this. Pigmentation from acne is harder to clear than the acne itself, because layers of skin develop over the hyperpigmented layer and make it difficult for products to penetrate.
Hormones
Hormonal changes, particularly in women as they age, change how skin responds to triggers like UV and inflammation. Pregnancy hormones are a common cause, and sun exposure during pregnancy can worsen the condition and make it harder to treat afterwards.
Other causes
- Certain types of medication
- Pollution
- Endocrine diseases
- Trauma or irritation to the skin
- Hereditary factors
Are melasma and hyperpigmentation the same?
Melasma is a type of hyperpigmentation, usually hormonal in origin, and often linked to pregnancy. Sun exposure during pregnancy can worsen it and make it difficult to treat even after pregnancy ends.
Are dark spots and hyperpigmentation the same?
Dark spots are also a type of hyperpigmentation. They may be caused by any of the same triggers — sun exposure, ageing, or acne scarring.
How do you treat hyperpigmentation?
It can be treated medically or naturally.
Medical options include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, intense pulsed light, laser resurfacing and cryotherapy.
Natural options use home remedies or naturally derived products formulated for pigmentation. Natural ingredients tend to be the safer and more sustainable route, because you can continue the treatment for as long as you like.
Turmeric, saffron and sandalwood are known to fade pigmentation patches and help protect skin from further damage.
Why does sunscreen come first?
Because every other treatment is working against the tide without it.
Targeted treatments will not go far if you skip SPF when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Worse, most of them are exfoliating, which leaves skin more sensitised to the environment than it was before.
So the order is: sunscreen first, targeted treatment second. Not the other way round.
How can you prevent hyperpigmentation?
Prevention is more effective than treatment, and a consistent routine is what does it.
- Cleanse gently, morning and night.
- Tone to prep the skin.
- Treat with antioxidants and brightening ingredients.
- Moisturise to keep the barrier healthy.
- Protect with SPF 50, reapplied through the day.
A routine built on antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, with SPF sealing it in, is the most reliable approach.
Which ingredients help?
- Kesar (saffron) — antioxidant and brightening
- Haldi (turmeric) — exfoliating
- Ashwagandha — anti-inflammatory and soothing
- Chandan (sandalwood) — antiseptic
- Vitamin C — brightening and spot-correcting
The kumkumadi formulation carries saffron, sandalwood and manjistha together, which is why it is used for uneven tone across Ayurvedic skincare.
Which Auravedic products help?
Kumkumadi Tailam for the nightly treatment step, built on saffron and classical varnya herbs.
Kumkumadi Cream as the daily moisturising layer, morning and night.
Pair either with a daily SPF 50. Without it, neither will do what it could.
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