Hyperpigmentation and Melasma: What are they? How are they similar, how are they different? Most importantly, how do you address them with clinical skincare?

You are on vacation and are doing everything right:

• You are completely covered from head-to-toe in broad spectrum (hopefully reef-safe) sun protection.
• You have a hat on, you are donned in SPF rated clothing, you are under a beach umbrella/cabana/any form of shade.
• And yet, you head indoors, pass by a mirror and notice pigment spots! (scratching head)

July is blisteringly hot in the Northern hemisphere (this year especially) and that is perhaps the reason it has been deemed Hyperpigmentation and Melasma Awareness Month. Though the main contributor, we have been conditioned to blame the sun for all our uneven pigment woes, which isn’t exactly fair. Though UV rays do initiate the melanocyte mechanism (our body’s natural defense method), heat is also a culprit in reminding old pigment to resurface.

Melanin is a protective element in our skin. It is meant to protect our skin functions, our bodies, and our internal organs from UV damage; actual or perceived. Hyperpigmentation means there is an excess (hyper) pigmentation in the skin. An abnormal accumulation of melanin in the skin can be initiated by external (extrinsic) factors like the sun, or internal (intrinsic) factors. Melasma is a form of hyperpigmentation, as are freckles and “sunspots.”

As the body ages, melanocyte (the vehicles carrying melanin) distribution becomes less diffused, and regulation is less controlled by the body.

Hyperpigmentation from Sun Exposure: Realizing the effect of sun on our skin, we have traded “sun-bathing” for bathing in SPF. Yet why is it that the older we get the more hyperpigmentation shows its true colors? If ultraviolet rays that travel over 93 million miles from the sun to shine on our face was the only way melanin was called into action, the SPF alone would stop the process (if it were only that easy…). The sun also brings heat and because heat can be perceived as inflammation, the skin’s immune and barrier function signal the defense of melanin into action. The intention is to protect from perceived injury. The result is sporadic pigment distribution, or sunspots!!

Hyperpigmentation from Melasma: Melasma is a skin condition that causes dark patches and spots to surface on the skin, usually on the forehead, cheeks, nose, upper lip and sometimes chin. Sometimes referred to as the “pregnancy mask”, the cause is associated with hormones and mostly afflicts women (great, thanks).

Where sun damage is caused by extrinsic factors (from the outside in), melasma is caused by intrinsic factors (from the inside out), both presentations require sophisticated melanin management. Lira Clinical’s commitment to and understanding of global skin is indicated by using brightening agents in nearly every product formulation (over 98% of the entire line). We understand the journey of achieving bright and beautiful skin means melanin must be addressed at every turn. For that we use ingredients that suppress and repair the abnormal accumulation of melanin and address factors that initiate the mechanism in the first place (inflammation, microbiome, skin immunity). Lira Clinical considers the science of the skin and how it should naturally function at an optimal level. That is Science Discovering Nature’s Secrets.