Why is my face getting darker than my body?
Are you also spending hours and hours online searching for an answer to this question? Well then, you lie in the majority. Wanting glowing skin is not bad at all; everybody loves to have it. You all must have put in your best efforts to achieve glowing skin. But have you ever wondered why your skin appears darker and dull despite so much effort?There can be many reasons for skin darkening, but you can prevent the darkening of skin by following a thoughtful skincare regime. Scroll down to find out what causes the darkening of your face and what you should do to treat it well.
What makes your face darker than your body?
Sun exposure
Face is the most exposed part of the human body. Too much sun exposure can make your face darker than the rest of the body. The harmful UV rays of the sun stimulate the production of melanin in your skin, which is the primary cause of skin darkening. The more melanin your skin produces, the darker your skin colour will be. Sunlight can also create dark spots or age spots on your face, which can lead to hyperpigmentation.
Harmful chemicals in skincare products
The skincare products you use daily sometimes contain harmful chemicals that can darken your skin. The chemicals in skincare products not only darken your skin but also increase other skin-related problems like dry patches, age spots, wrinkles, acne outbreaks, and hyperpigmentation, making your skin more discolored.
Inflammation
Facial skin inflammation can cause discoloration. It happens for several reasons, such as acne, allergic reactions, injury, eczema, scars, and lupus (an autoimmune disorder). This type of condition can cause inflammation in your skin, and once the inflammation reduces, you may notice hyper pigmented skin.
Melasma
Melasma is a skin disorder that happens due to a hormonal imbalance or extreme sun exposure. Pregnant women are most likely to experience this disorder early in pregnancy. In this condition, hyper pigmented patches may appear on your forehead, cheek, nose, and chin. Due to this, your facial skin becomes dull and uneven.
Medication
Some medicines can leave side effects on your skin, which may make your skin hyper pigmented. Medicines like non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, and cytotoxic drugs may cause skin discoloration. They can impart a grey tone to your skin.
Pregnancy
Due to the hormonal changes during pregnancy, the skin cells produce more melanin. As a result, your facial skin gets darker. You may notice dark patches on your forehead, cheeks, chin, or around your mouth. These areas may get darker the more you're exposed to the sun or the further along you are in your pregnancy.
Age
The skin cells that produce melanin decrease with age. But existing skin cells increase in size and become more centralized. Due to that, many of you may have noticed signs of premature aging, such as age spots, especially in your late 30’s or after reaching the age of 40.
What To Do When Your Face Is Darker Than Your Body
Vitamin C Face Wash: Vitamin C Face Wash contains ascorbic acid, which helps treat hyperpigmentation and other citric ingredients that help reduce dark circles. it reduces major skin issues such as the appearance of dark spots and dark circles, gradually improves the overall skin tone, and provides you with brighter, glowing, and even-toned skin.
Aloe Vera Gel: Aloe Vera gel contains an active ingredient called aloin that helps to provide even skin tone. Aloe works as a deep pigmenting agent and destroys existing melanin cells, which makes your skin tone even. Regular use of aloe vera gel reduces or prevents other skin issues such as acne breakouts, redness, itching, and wrinkles.
The best treatment options to treat an uneven skin tone problem
Retinoids
Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil is known to treat dark or uneven skin tones. Its antibacterial properties help to lighten skin pigmentation and dark spots over time. It also helps to reduce pigmentation, which occurs with skin aging, and promote even skin tone.
Retinoids are used to treat several skin issues, such as acne, wrinkles, ageing spots, patches, etc. It helps to provide an even skin tone, treat acne, smooth fine lines & wrinkles, and reduce age spots and dark spots. It also helps to improve post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Hydroquinome
Hydroquinone is an organic aromatic compound that has anti-inflammatory properties that help treat dark skin and fade dark spots by regulating melanin production. You can easily find this in many skin care products.
Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid is considered as one of the best treatments for skin lighting. It helps to peel the outer layer of skin and reduce hyperpigmentation. Salicylic acid is safe to use every day, but it has the potential to irritate and dry out the skin, so it’s recommended to start slowly, once or twice per week, and then increase the frequency as tolerated.
Kojic acid
Kojic aid has been proven to be effective in treating dark skin issues as it prevents the production of tyrosine (amino acid), which is responsible for the production of melanin. It can be used to treat skin conditions like melasma, dark spots, and hyperpigmentation. You can easily find kojic acid-containing products in your nearby cosmetic shop in the form of gels, creams, and lotions.
Glycolic acid
Glycolic acid exfoliates the skin by eliminating dead skin cells from the face. It also lightens your skin tone and reduces the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. However, if you are on topical medications, you should avoid using glycolic acid.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids Alpha
AHA is a naturally occurring acid; you may find it in sugarcane, milk, and several fruits. It can be used to treat several skin issues,such as acne, wrinkles, and age spots; improve skin texture; exfoliate the skin; and lighten the skin tone.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy can be used on dark skin color and to even out the skin tone. This therapy can be a little bit expensive compared to the other options mentioned above.
Conclusion
There is no single reason, why facial skin is darker than the rest of the body. Hyperpigmentation may take a long time to subside, but rest assured that it can be treated. By incorporating simple home remedies, skincare tips, treatments, healthy lifestyle habits, and healthy eating, you can prevent hyperpigmentation and achieve an even skin tone. Make sure to consult your dermatologist before starting any treatment.
- Keep your skin nourish
- Soothes skin irritation
- Provide even skin tone
