Beauty -Hyperpigmentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UNDER THEGLARE
Over time, many of us will begin to notice the appearance of dark spots or patches on our skin. These sun or age spots are known as hyperpigmentation and are highly common imperfections.
Indeed many of your customers, and in particular your mature clients, will no doubt suffer from some form of pigmentation problem to varying degrees. So, what exactly is causing these changes to occur?
"Hyperpigmentation is when the production of melanin, the substance that gives the skin and hair its natural colour, increases,” explains Lydia Sarfati, Repêchage CEO and Founder “This is a result of unprotected exposure to the sun that leads to UV rays attacking keratinocyte of the skin, which signals the production of melanin. Patches of skin become darker in colour than the normal surrounding skin because an excess of melanin forms deposits in the skin.”
Mariga Sheedy, Founder of Skin Essentials by Mariga adds: “Hyperpigmentation is a disorder of the melanogenesis system of the skin. In normal, undamaged skin, melanin is produced in response to UVR exposure as part of skin’s defence system. Pigment granules are created in the melanocyte and travel though arm-like structures called dendrites to be picked up by the skin cell (keratinocyte), where they settle over the vulnerable cell nucleus to protect it from DNA damage by UV rays. They will gradually be exfoliated off in normal desquamation.
“Over-exposure to UVR, particularly when skin is unprotected by sunscreen, will lead to cell damage of the keratinocyte and the melanocyte. Damage can also be caused by hormonal factors and medications. Lifestyle choices such as excessive sunbathing and genetic factors and country of origin also play a part in determining your client’s individual pigmentation risk factors,” she continues.
“In a damaged melanogenesis system, the pigment granules either do not reach
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their intended target – the keratinocyte – due to factors such as essential fatty acid deficiency which means that the skin cell membrane is not flexible enough to absorb the pigment granule into it, or the pigment granules are abnormally over- produced, as in the case of hormonal influences / medications. In either case the pigment granule falls between the layers of epidermal cells and rests on the dermal-epidermal junction. In an on-going situation, over years, large amounts of pigment can fall this way, resulting in a visible brown patch. This also explains why hyperpigmentation spots cannot just exfoliate off like normal tan – the pigment is trapped too deep in the skin’s structure for normal desquamation to reach.”
Treatment time
With an increasing number of individuals wishing to tackle this aesthetic concern, there is high demand out there to consider adding hyperpigmentation products and services to your beauty menu. Luckily, when it comes to tackling these blemishes there are a host of options available which will enable you to effectively treat within the salon and also recommend for your clients to use at home in-between professional treatments.
Technological solutions such as Microdermabrasion and light-based systems can provide effective results. Often these devices can be used to target not only specific skin care concerns like pigmentation, but also offer overall rejuvenation benefits to ageing skins, providing a versatile addition to your portfolio.
If your clients would prefer to adopt a more topical approach to their skin care, such items as peels, masks and brightening creams can be incorporated within your professional services and also retailed in order to alleviate and diminish the signs of hyperpigmentation.
“Today, we have ground-breaking natural ingredients, treatments and at-home care products that can help treat hyperpigmentation without taking the risk of causing your client future health complications,” says Lydia. “Innovative marine biotechnology, revolutionary peptide research and the earth’s natural
botanicals can now help to rapidly reduce the appearance of uneven skin tone while battling hyperpigmentation. Look for ingredients such as Pelvetia Canaliculata Seaweed, Bellis Daisy, Licorice extract andWillow Bark extract for their brightening properties and Matrixyl 3000 and Red Clover extract for their anti- ageing benefits."
Prior to administering any treatments or products, it’s important to remember that not every client’s pigmentation problems will be the same. “As there are many possible causal factors, you can see that a comprehensive consultation plays a huge part in determining how well, if at all, you can treat individual pigmentation cases,” notes Mariga.
Therefore conducting a thorough consultation is a must to ascertain and assess such factors as the type, depth and severity of the problem. If at any time you are worried about the appearance of a clients’ hyperpigmentation, it is best to have them checked out by a medical professional to confirm that the area is benign and safe to treat.
Turn the page to see a selection of treatments and products that can help tackle hyperpigmentation…
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