Pigmentation is the most annoying thing for female friends, and Chinese people take white as beauty, and it is said that “one white covers a hundred ugly things”. There are many kinds of pigmentation, such as chloasma, age spots, freckles, brown spots, inflammatory pigmentation, nevus of Ota, etc. For different pigmentation, their treatment methods are different. Some pigmentation spots are very superficial and are on the outermost layer of the skin, such as freckles and early age spots, while some pigmentation spots are on the deeper layer of the skin, such as melasma and brownish blue spots. In terms of the shape of pigmentation, there are small or patchy ones, such as freckles and age spots, and there are patches and clusters, such as melasma. The prevention and treatment methods of different pigmentation spots are totally different and need to be treated differently. In addition, many people also suffer from several pigmentation spots at the same time, which need to be treated in order. Therefore, you should first visit the hospital to determine which kind or kinds of pigmentation you have, and then let your doctor design a comprehensive treatment plan for you.
Freckles
Freckles are a hereditary pigmentary disorder that manifests as fine discoloration of varying sizes scattered over the whole face, especially in the middle of the face, and are mostly seen in fair and dry skin types. Freckles are common among Caucasians and are not considered unattractive in the West, while in China they are considered unattractive and therefore need to be treated. The pigment of freckles is in the outermost layer of the skin, which is relatively easy to remove. In the past, laser was used to cauterize the freckles to remove the pigment, but the treatment is traumatic and time-consuming to the skin, and because of the small size of the freckles, it is inevitable that the treatment will be missed. Chemical peeling is also used to remove the outermost layer of the skin, including freckles, using chemical agents (such as phenols or fruit acids) to achieve the effect of treatment. Since the introduction of intense pulsed light (photon), phototherapy has become the gold standard for freckle removal, allowing freckles to be easily removed without damaging the normal skin. However, it must be noted that since freckles are hereditary pigmentation, they may all recur to varying degrees after treatment and require repeat treatment.
Pigmented mother spots
”It is a kind of congenital pigmentation abnormality, which is usually light or inconspicuous when it is first born, but slowly becomes obvious as it grows older, the color is like coffee with milk, and the border is very clear, like a map of the country. The color is like coffee with milk, and the border is very clear, like the national boundary on a map. This kind of pigmentation, like freckles, is located in the outermost layer of the skin and can be removed by treatments such as laser, grinding, chemical peeling and photon, and the treatment does not seem to be complicated, but the pigmentation is exceptionally stubborn and not easy to be cured, and most patients will have recurrence in varying degrees after treatment, and some even recur within a few months after treatment. Therefore, it is recommended to use less traumatic photon treatment at the beginning stage, or use Q-switched laser to treat a small patch experimentally to observe the efficacy and recurrence degree, and then proceed to the whole treatment after confirming the effect.
Brown Blemish
It is a special type of pigmentation, also called “acquired nevus of Ota”, because it looks almost identical to a congenital cyanotic birthmark called “nevus of Ota”, but it is not present at birth, but often appears after the age of 20. Some patients have a family member with a similar condition. The area of bruises is usually small and often grows symmetrically on the left and right side of the face, not inside the eyes as in the case of nevus of Ota. The pigment of this type of pigment is located in the dermis, and its treatment method is the same as that of nevus of Ota, which requires multiple treatments with Q-switched laser to achieve a complete cure.
Age spots
Age spots are skin discolorations that appear with age. They are a mild skin disease, mostly found on the exposed parts of the face or arms. Age spots do not affect physical health, but they will affect the appearance and give people the feeling of aging, so from the cosmetic point of view, they should be treated. For age spots that are not higher than the skin surface, Q-switched laser treatment can be used; for age spots that are higher than the skin surface, CO2 laser cautery treatment can be used, and the effect of complete elimination can be achieved in one time.
Nevus of Ota
Nevus of Ota is a kind of congenital pigmentation disease, also called “black birthmark”, and there are quite a lot of people suffering from Nevus of Ota, the incidence rate is about one in a thousand. It usually occurs on one side of the face since childhood and deepens gradually with age, and the area will expand as the head and face grow up, but the relative area will not expand, just like the words engraved on a small tree, which will grow bigger as the tree grows. The pigment in nevus of Ota is located in the deeper layers of the skin and requires multiple treatments with the Q-switched laser, which has a high peak power to blast the pigment particles and gradually allow the pigment to fade. It usually takes more than 5 treatments with an interval of 3-6 months, so the treatment course for nevus of Ota will take more than one and a half years. The treatment effect of nevus of Ota is so good that it can achieve the degree of “leaving no trace” and the skin color of the treated area will be more delicate.
Inflammatory hyperpigmentation
The human skin grows and repairs after an injury, and during the healing process, the color of the skin sometimes deepens, like a pigmentation. The medical term “hyperpigmentation” is not really a pigmentation, but an inevitable stage in the skin repair process. There is no special treatment for this kind of hyperpigmentation, and if we use invasive treatments such as grinding or laser, a new inflammatory hyperpigmentation may be formed, which will aggravate the color and prolong the recovery period. For this condition, it is most important to prevent UV exposure. You can use clothing or scar patches to cover the affected area to avoid UV exposure. Taking vitamin C or topical ionization will also play a role in accelerating the fading.
Melasma
Melasma, also known as stretch marks or liver spots, is a common skin disease with increased pigmentation, mostly occurring on the face and other sun-exposed areas, and changing in intensity with the seasons or women’s physiological cycle. The color spots are of different sizes and irregular shapes, and the boundaries are mostly blurred, as if unclean flocculent brown spots cover the face. Melasma and brown spots are easily confused, and the treatment for both is completely different. While brown spots can be completely cured by Q-switched laser, melasma is ineffective to laser treatment and even deepens. It is worth noting that some patients suffer from melasma and brown spots at the same time. In this case, it is better to treat melasma with oral medication first, and then treat brown spots with laser.
Treatment of melasma
1.General measures
Avoid sunlight; try to reduce the stimulation of facial skin, especially the vigorous rubbing of the pigmented parts, and wash the face must be gentle and reduce the massage care of the face. Reduce the use of cosmetics, especially you need to avoid the use of fragrant and irritating cosmetics. Consider stopping the use of contraceptive pills.
2.Oral tranexamic acid
Tranexamic acid has been used to treat melasma for more than thirty years and is the preferred oral drug for melasma treatment in Japan. Clinical studies have confirmed that both oral administration and intradermal injection can effectively treat melasma, while the whitening effect of intravenous injection has not been confirmed in academic studies. Currently, oral tranexamic acid has the best conservative treatment effect among all melasma treatment methods.
3.Hydroquinone (hydroquinone) cream
It has been the first choice of topical medication for the treatment of melasma, but it is difficult to grasp the concentration of use, and it is easy to produce secondary pigmentation after medication, especially yellow people are prone to this complication.
4.Laser treatment
The effect of laser treatment for melasma is not exact, and the reported results are different. Generally, low-energy Q-switched laser or fractional laser is mostly used for treatment. It may be effective for some superficial melasma.
Are pigmentation spots related to soy sauce consumption?
There are no scientific studies and reports about the relationship between eating soy sauce and pigmentation, but the pigment will be digested and degraded after entering the human digestive tract. In fact, soy sauce is not the only pigment in our food, such as black sesame seeds, green vegetables, purple grapes, red tomatoes, etc. There is no evidence that they have any connection with our skin color.
How do I choose a sunscreen?
Sunscreen has two key indicators SPF and PA. SPF is called Sun Protection Index and refers to the ability of sunscreen to combat UVB rays. UVB rays from the sun can cause skin redness, and sunscreen can delay the onset of skin redness after application. For example, in the case of not applying sunscreen, the skin will be red after 10 minutes of exposure to a certain sunlight condition, while the skin will be red only after 200 minutes of exposure to the same sunlight condition after applying sunscreen, which will extend the time of skin redness by 20 times, then the sunscreen index of this sunscreen is 20, and the general sunscreen index varies from 15 to 50. Another parameter of sunscreen is PA, which is the sun protection ability, refers to the ability of sunscreen against ultraviolet A. There are +, ++, ++++ three, the higher the level, the stronger the ability to resist tanning. It is important to note that the higher the index the better when buying sunscreen, because the higher the sunscreen index, the more sunscreen agents (such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) are contained, which can irritate the skin and cause clogged pores. So you should choose the right sunscreen according to the environment, people who work indoors just use the index 20 or less, people who run around outdoors can choose the index 20-30, if you are sunbathing at the beach, you should use the index 30 or more sunscreen. Another thing to note is that generally sunscreen is effective for about 4 hours, so generally more than 4 hours to reapply sunscreen, especially in outdoor activities need to pay more attention to this issue. In addition, if you are swimming outdoors, you need to use a waterproof sunscreen.
How do dark circles under the eyes form?
Many women complain about dark circles under their eyes, which is a darker color of the skin underneath the eyes, giving the impression that they are not well rested or aging.
From a medical perspective, there are several causes of dark circles under the eyes.
1. Pigmentation or discoloration of the lower lid skin
common are chloasma or brownish-blue spots, in addition, they can also be caused by improper use of cosmetics, as the skin around the eyes is very thin, so it is prone to chronic irritating inflammation, which over time can lead to the formation of hyperpigmentation or discoloration.
2. Subcutaneous thickened veins or venous stasis
This condition is often seen in fair-skinned people, whose blood vessels can be faintly visible through the skin, which can lead to poor blood flow under strain or lack of sleep, and dark-colored venous blood stagnation within the vessels, which forms dark circles through the skin.
3.Shadow of eye bags
protruding fat in the orbital area of the lower lid causing bags under the eyes, which in the presence of light will form a shadow beneath it, creating dark circles.
4. Fine wrinkles on the lower eyelids
As we age, the skin gradually relaxes. Middle-aged women tend to have many tiny wrinkles in the lower eyelid area. With the same light exposure, the wrinkled area will absorb more light than the smooth skin area, giving a dull feeling and causing dark circles under the eyes.
Since there are many causes of dark circles under the eyes, different treatments are needed for different causes. For dark circles caused by skin pigmentation or discoloration, you should try to avoid stimulating the skin in that area, visit a hospital to find ways to reduce inflammation, and use medication or laser to treat the pigmentation or discoloration. If the veins are stagnant due to strain, you need to adjust your work and rest schedule to ensure sleep and rest, and use massage and physical therapy to improve blood circulation. For dark circles caused by bags under the eyes, the effect can be corrected by under-eye bag plastic surgery. In the case of the gray lower eyelid area produced by fine wrinkles, the appearance of dark circles should be improved by treating the wrinkles with laser or radiofrequency skin tightening, filler injections or surgery.