Our skin’s pigment comes from a compound called melanin, which helps to protect our skin from the sun. Those of us with pale skin have less melanin and therefore require more protection from the sun. We recommend all skin types use an spf but it is especially important for pale skin as there is less natural protection. Skin cells called melanocytes are responsible for producing melanin. Factors such as exposure to the sun’s rays, toxins, stress or hormonal changes cause overstimulation of the melanocytes and they begin to produce excess melanin resulting in hyper-pigmentation.
Hyper-pigmentation
Hyper-pigmentation occurs when the body overproduces melanin. Melanin is deposited in the dermis, often in patches. Hormones, pregnancy, acne and sun exposure can all cause this. Hyper-pigmentation can affect nearly all skin colours but is more common in women than men.
Treatment with IPL
SkinBase™ Intense Pulsed Light, photo rejuvenation therapy uses beams of light energy to target the melanin in the skin and treat Hyper-pigmentation. Photorejuvenation is the broad term used to describe the treatment of photo-ageing which includes wrinkles, pigmentation and age spots. IPL treatment encourages the skin to repair itself by producing new cells and increasing collagen production. It is a very effective and non-invasive form of treatment and requires no downtime.
To treat pigmentation, sun damage or fine lines and wrinkles we recommend a course of 3-6 photorejuvenation treatments, 2-3 weeks apart. Photorejuvenation therapy will also work wonders on any fine lines and wrinkles and flood the skin surface with new collagen for a more youthful complexion
SkinBase™ microdermabrasion (MD) facials are also very effective at treating pigmentation. MD uses tiny exfoliating crystals to remove the very outermost layer of skin. A course of treatment performed weekly will allow the therapist to remove pigmentation layer by layer.
Make sure to wear a high factor skin protection at all times during and after treatment to prevent pigmentation recurring.
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