For anyone struggling with hyperpigmentation

[ab0s]

Hello beautiful people! I thought I would start a conversation on hyperpigmentation. What are some things that worked for you guys? What didn't? Recommendations? as well as what worked for me:) Let me preface this with a warning that I am no expert on skincare nor will I ever be sure that what works for me will work for you, Ive just tried a ton of products and have dealt with hyoerpigmentation caused by acne and my obsession with picking my skin (It's a stress thing for me) for so long that I wanted to help some people who are or have felt as insecure as I did before starting this anywaaaaays:

I have done this skincare routine for the past week and a half and it has significantly reduced my hyperpigmentation which were really dark and splotchy as well as spotty to about 60% faded and some even totally gone! 

First off I let all products soak for 30 min each sometimes an hour if I have time

AM:

1.Rinse with water

2. The Ordinary Vitamin C 23% +HA spheres 

3. Perricone MD ester C spf (forgot the full name)

PM:

1. Farmacy cleansing balm

2. Farmacy clean bee or Drunk elephant peekee bar (Whichever hasn't run out)

3. Drunk Elephant Sukari Babyfacial every day for a week with a day off in between:

     I am aware this is not at all recommended and I would not recommend this since idk how other skin types would react. I am very used to acids and this did not irritate me at all and at the closest sight of irritation I would've stopped.

4. Drunk elephant retinol 

5. rosehip oil

6. cera ve pm (I like that it has niacinamide)

7. Drunk elephant polypeptide cream

8. Farmacy Honey Salve

9. when my face dries since I have pretty dry skin that absorbs products well, I will moisturize with rosehip oil and sometimes Tru Skin Vit. C serum as well (It isn't in the form of ascorbic acid so it doesn't interfere with the retinol, plus the retinol is usually absorbed by then)

These products and skincare routine although somewhat unconventional has worked wonders for my hyperpigmentation I believe mainly due to the Sukari Babyfacial as well as The Ordinary Vitamin C and Rosehip Oil. Retinol is usually recommended as well but Im only two weeks into it so I can't really say whether or not it has started to work. I can say however that I personally find this retinol to be gentle considering the peeling only lasted a week for me and its been smooth sailing since and Im a newbie to retinol.

[WinglessOne]

I have a large patch of hyperpigmentation on each cheek, plus a wide band across my forehead. I’m pretty sure the forehead darkness is due to sun damage, especially since I rarely wore sunscreen until my mid-30s. 😞 I do also have a few dark acne scars but, for me, those tend to fade over time... okay, over a loooooong period of time. 

Last fall or winter, I finally began acid exfoliation after years of fearing a bad skin reaction to yet. Turns out my face loves AHA peels. I eased my skin into them with the very gentle FIRST AID BEAUTY - Facial Radiance Pads before moving on to Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads 30 Treatments + 5 Bonus and occasionally Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Extra Strength Daily Peel Pads 30 Treatments + 5 Bonus The DDG peels made a noticeable, very gradual difference in my hyperpigmentation. 

I recently switched from the DDG peels to FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Resurfacing Liquid 10% AHA because I wanted something with less or no alcohol, and I like knowing the % of AHA in the FAB exfoliant. (DDG is very cagey about providing the % of key ingredients in their products.) I suspect the FAB product is stronger than the DDG peels, with a better pH plus a lot of ingredients that help soothe my skin. I could probably use this stuff 5-7 nights a week if I wanted to, but for now I’m trying to stick with 3-4 nights a week. I can see that it’s removing top layers of dead hyperpigmented skin. 🙂 It’s a gradual change, but noticeable to me. 

The only vitamin C in my skincare routine is in my moisturizer, and it’s not a high %. I’m about to incorporate a vitamin C serum to see if that also affects my hyperpigmentation. 

[ZakiyaBT]

Hi @ab0s ,

I struggled with hyperpigmentation from middle school until my mid 20s and now my skin is the clearest that it has ever been. I used all kinds of products and I realized to stop the acne breakouts I had to change what I eat especially while in college and keep my hands away from my face. I also started exfoliating twice a week, and using cleansing products with activated charcoal. Boscia Detoxifying Black Charcoal Cleanser is a great product that I recommend. I also make sure to keep my skin moisturized, Belif True Cream Aqua Bomb and Peter Thomas Roth Hyaluronic Cloud Cream are both great moisturizers and use sunscreen. Tea tree oil and aloe vera also helps as well. 

[ab0s]

@ZakiyaBT @WinglessOne  thanks for replying ladies!