Our faces can display many signs of ageing and the search for youthful skin is a constant journey for many women. The signs of aging most commonly targeted by skin care regimes include wrinkles and loss of skin tone. There is, however research that highlights another important indicator of youth; even skin tone. People perceive altered pigmentation causing uneven skin tone as a sign of aged skin. Skin therapists at the International dermal Institute have developed products, such as Dermalogica Chromawhite to tackle hyperpigmentation skin and answer consumer demands for brighter even skin tone.

The underlying causes of uneven skin tone must be explored to ensure that the products developed not only successfully target existing problem skin tone but also protect the skin from further damage or irritation. At Dermalogica the safety of the products is crucial and only ingredients which are proven to be both effective and safe are included in their products.

Skin Colour and Hyperpigmentation

The colour of our skin is essentially determined by the amount of melanin in the skin. The basic melanin content of our skin is genetically programmed and determines our Constitutive skin colour. This skin tone can be altered by other influences such as hormones and sunlight; these changes give us our facultative skin colour. It is the facultative skin tone that skin brightening products aim to alter.

Sunlight is in many ways our skin’s worst enemy. The UVA and UVB rays which bombard our skin cause health problems and promote premature ageing. Exposure to UV light results in the characteristic tanned skin. And over time dark age spots on the hands, neck and face. These spots are known as lentigines and although harmless they do indicate aged skin.

Hormones affect our bodies in many ways, and although they are responsible for our essential wonderful womanliness they also have some less favourable features. Hormones can cause hyperpigmentation in a number of ways, for example, during pregnancy a large percentage of women develop the “mask of pregnancy”. This irregularly shaped patch of darker skin most commonly affects the centre of the face and although it can subside after the pregnancy it may persist for up to five years and has a tendency to reoccur.

Other influences on skin pigmentation include usage of certain prescription drugs, topically applied products and scar tissue. It is clear that there are many culprits in the creation of uneven skin colour and controlling hyperpigmentation is crucial for youthful skin.

Controlling hyperpigmentation.

The use of sunscreen to protect our skin from UVA and UVB rays will help control future pigmentation changes, but will not lessen existing hyperpigmentation. For many years Hydroquinone has been a popular skin lightener but there are serious concerns regarding its safety. A high proportion of users find they are allergic to Hydroquinone and those that can use the product long term can develop extremely sensitized skin. Some users develop more hyperpigmentation and acne-like skin marks. Studies have also concluded that Hydroquinone has the potential to cause cancer and so it is no surprise that this chemical has been banned in many countries.

The desire for youthful skin with even colouration but without risking such potentially devastating side effects has led the International Dermal Institute to develop safe effective alternatives for brightening skin. Dermalogica Chromawhite was developed by studying the complex chemical which regulates the formation of melanin by targeting specific steps in the process. These include many botanical extracts and naturally occurring agents some of which are outlined here:

Rice Extract. (phytic acid)

This naturally occurring agent slows down the production of melanocytes.

Vitamin C.

Ascorbic acid controls melanin synthesis and helps to brighten surface spots.

Lactobacillus. From fruit sources.

By exfoliating surface cells smoother brighter skin is gently revealed, enhancing skin tone and eliminating darker spots.

Liquorice root extract and White tea extract.

Natural anti-inflammatory agents can address the pigment changes caused by inflammation. These ingredients also have antioxidant properties.

Lactic acid.

Exfoliates the skin to lift dull discoloured cells and enhance brightness and skin clarity.

The Dermalogica ChromaWhite range of hyperpigmentation skin products are designed to deliver a skin brightening solution without using potentially damaging “lightening” ingredients that can have a negative impact on the skin’s health.

Many hyperpigmentation products aimed at lightening the skin contain hydroquinone. There are some fairly alarming claims regarding the use of this drug. In fact, so much so that the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration produced a fact sheet.

You can purchase Dermalogica Chromawhite trx at www.dailygrooming.co.uk