Melasma and Hyperpigmentation: Causes and Treatment Options

Hyperpigmentation is a common condition causing dark patches to appear on the skin.

Its appearance may be subtle in some cases, such as freckles or liver spots. But in others, the contrast between the darker patches and the surrounding skin will be more extreme.

Melasma is one of the most well-known forms of hyperpigmentation, though the root of its development is slightly different.

Fortunately, numerous effective treatment options are available for both hyperpigmentation and melasma.

Let’s take a closer look at the causes and solutions to help you find the right treatment for your skin.

What causes hyperpigmentation?

The term “pigmentation” refers to the skin’s colouring, which is related to a pigment known as melanin.

When the body produces too much melanin, this can cause hyperpigmentation in different degrees of visibility. As mentioned above, hyperpigmentation can manifest as freckles or dark patches across the skin.

This condition may affect the whole body or specific areas only. For example, liver spots can appear on the face, scalp, and hands in older people.

However, it appears, hyperpigmentation can cause a noticeable balance issue in the skin’s pigmentation. This may lead to self-image problems, particularly when the contrast between skin colors becomes more visible than the individual affected would prefer.

Hyperpigmentation occurs in all types of skin, though it’s likely to be more visible in people of darker coloring. This is because skin pigmentation in dark skin is stronger than in paler complexions.

Hyperpigmentation may be linked to:

Acne scarring

In the case of acne, trauma to the skin can trigger hyperpigmentation. This may affect different areas of the face, though it’s commonly seen on the cheeks.

This type of hyperpigmentation is also known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which can also be caused by other skin issues (such as eczema).

Medications

Certain drugs are known to cause hyperpigmentation. These include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antimalarials, antipsychotics, and more.

Exact causes vary from one drug type to another. Specific drugs can react with melanin or other substances within the skin to change coloring in one or more areas.

Sun exposure

Excessive exposure to sunlight is another common cause of hyperpigmentation.

Why? Because sunlight stimulates production of melanin, which absorbs UV rays to defend the body against the sun’s harmful effects. That’s what creates suntans.

The longer you spend in the sun without protecting yourself with sun block, the more likely hyperpigmentation formation may be.

Sun-related hyperpigmentation could appear as a modest cluster of freckles, large age spots, or bigger patches of discoloration in areas exposed to UV rays frequently. These include the hands, face, arms, neck, and legs.

It’s crucial to protect your skin from potential sun-related damage, but not just to reduce your risk of developing hyperpigmentation. Skin cancer is, sadly, another well-known effect of excess time in the sun.

And cases in Canada have increased significantly in the past few decades, so it’s vital to be sensible with your skin care.

What causes melasma?

Melasma looks similar to other forms of hyperpigmentation, but it’s actually caused in part by hormonal changes. Pregnant women are likely to develop melasma — that’s why it’s known as the “mask of pregnancy”.

Typically, melasma manifests as patches of dark, blotchy skin on the upper lip, cheeks, and forehead.

Why does it affect pregnant women? Because hormonal shifts within the body trigger excess production of pigment. Melasma can be exacerbated by frequent exposure to UV rays and heat too.

Melasma may start to develop during the first trimester of pregnancy and remain until after the birth. Generally, dark patches will begin to fade, though treatment may be required if they persist.

What treatments are available for hyperpigmentation and melasma?

Hyperpigmentation and melasma can both be treated. But melasma may require a little more work as it’s related to hormones.

A comprehensive assessment of your health and lifestyle may be needed to identify the most effective treatment in the long run.

The Astra Medi Spa team offers three innovative products designed to treat hyperpigmentation in its various forms. We’ll invite you to discuss your skin condition with us during a consultation ahead of your treatment. This ensures we choose the right option.

The Perfect Peel

The Perfect Peel is a high-end skin treatment formulated to achieve real results for diverse skin types and ethnicities. It contains such powerful ingredients as:

• Phenol
• Vitamin C
• Glutathione
• Salicylic Acid
• TCA
• Kojic Acid

Glutathione is a crucial antioxidant with anti-aging properties. This penetrates the skin deeply to help combat premature wrinkles and oxidation. While glutathione occurs in the human body naturally, it depletes as we age.

Kojic Acid is known for its power to lighten the skin and boost the production of collagen and elastin. This brightens and tightens target areas.

All of these ingredients work to reduce or remove sun damage, hyperpigmentation, melasma, and create more balanced skin.

Clear + Brilliant

Clear + Brilliant is a powerful laser treatment that rejuvenates the skin from the inside out. It targets the skin’s upper layers to replace damaged skin with healthier tissue, creating a more youthful look across multiple treatments.

Clear + Brilliant is designed to enhance skin tone, texture, and appearance overall. It’s also effective at reducing the visibility of fine lines and pores.

Quality skincare products

Astra Medi Spa’s expert team offers a wide range of skincare products that can help reduce the visibility of hyperpigmentation.

Eltraderm Advanced Native Collagen + HA is formulated to hydrate, soothe, and improve the appearance of damaged skin.

Astramed Skin Perfect is an antimicrobial cleanser to revitalize the skin, remove dead cells, enhance skin texture, and cover imperfections. It can create a clearer, cleaner complexion, particularly for people affected by acne.

Hyperpigmentation and melasma may cause significant changes in your appearance, but Astra’s team is here to help!

Each treatment we offer is undertaken by an experienced professional, and we’ll take the time to understand your condition carefully during your pre-treatment consultation.

To learn more about our skin treatments and schedule your consultation, get in touch now!

Glutathione Health Benefits for Your Body and Mind

Glutathione is one of the most powerful antioxidants in the human body.

This antioxidant is vital to keep you feeling and looking healthy. If your glutathione levels are lower than they should be, you could be at higher risk of experiencing several serious medical conditions.

Such as?

• A glutathione deficiency can cause red blood cells to break down too quickly and prevent new cells from replacing them. This may lead to fatigue, breathing difficulties, and more.

• In more extreme cases, a deficiency could contribute to neurological issues, particularly in children.

That’s why it’s crucial to ensure your glutathione levels remain at a healthy level. And in recent years, countless people have turned to glutathione IV treatments to take advantage of this antioxidant’s many health benefits.

But just how does glutathione help your body and mind?

Give your skin a healthier, brighter glow

Glutathione can help to transform the appearance of your skin in exciting ways. For example, if you struggle with hyperpigmentation, glutathione IV treatments could create a significant improvement in the condition of your skin.

Hyperpigmentation is an aesthetic issue: patches of dark skin form on the different areas of the skin, including the face. These may be noticeable enough to cause self-image difficulties, particularly in severe cases. Typical causes include hormonal changes and sun damage.

But glutathione injections can help to inhibit melanin production and reduce the visibility of your hyperpigmentation. As a result, your skin tones may appear more balanced and lighter overall.

Even liver spots, a common sign of aging, can become less visible with glutathione injections.

Fight inflammation

Glutathione can help to combat inflammation, even chronic cases.

High inflammation levels occur in many chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. Specific autoimmune complaints, such as celiac disease, can lead to chronic inflammation too. This will cause serious discomfort (stiffness, swelling) and redness.

But glutathione has an amazing ability to stop the formation of inflammatory cytokines and encourage a healthy response to inflammation within the body.

Assist brain health and memory

Caring for your body is crucial, of course, but you need to consider your mental health too. Certain processes within the brain can cause severe cognitive issues as we age, due to neurodegeneration. This occurs when brain neurons are damaged, in some cases so badly that they die.

This can cause brains to shrink and struggle to perform at the same capacity they may have before. For example, Alzheimer’s is a powerful neurodegenerative condition with devastating results. While its actual cause is still unknown, one of the biggest factors in its development is believed to be oxidative stress.

As glutathione is a major antioxidant within the body, it’s known to be lacking in people affected by neurodegenerative conditions. Research has shown that taking glutathione supplements can have a positive impact on memory, by fighting oxidative stress.

Strengthen the immune system

Glutathione is vital for helping the immune system remain strong and prepared to resist infections affecting any part of the body.

It’s believed to empower white cells (such as T cells) to fight infections effectively, with research showing that taking glutathione supplements helps to increase the body’s Natural Killer (NK) cells significantly after several months.

You can also help to improve your immune system’s healthy by:

• exercising on a daily basis (walking, running, cycling, etc.)
• staying at a medically healthy weight
• getting around seven to eight hours of sleep per night
• adding more vitamin B12 or C to your diet
• eating more vegetables and fruit for a healthier lifestyle

It’s also important to try to avoid or manage stress as much as possible, which is easier said than done for many of us. But physical and emotional stress can both have a negative effect on the immune system, so explore any options for alleviating stress available to you.

Reduce fatigue and improve energy levels

Fatigue is a common problem, but it can have a stronger impact on the body and mind than you may realize. Typical symptoms of fatigue include:

• headaches
• aching/sore muscles
• reflexes/responses slow down
• irritability/low mood
• feeling dizzy
• difficulty making decisions

Fatigue can be caused by too much physical exertion, a lack of restful sleep, experiencing emotional stress for long periods, feeling bored, taking specific medications (e.g. sedatives), or being clinically obese.

If you feel fatigued, this may inhibit your ability to work, study, care for your family, and lead the life you want to. That’s why it’s best to address it as soon as possible.

Fortunately, glutathione has been shown to help combat muscular fatigue and aid psychological factors connected to fatigue.

This should be used in conjunction with other known methods of combating fatigue, such as losing weight, reducing stress, drinking less alcohol, and trying to partake in more physical activities.

The benefits of a professional glutathione IV treatment

It’s clear that glutathione plays a critical part in maintaining good physical and mental health. While it exists within the human body naturally, glutathione levels may be lacking in some individuals, which means supplements will be necessary to reduce the risk of potential medical issues.

One quick, simple way to get more glutathione into your body is an IV treatment. Astra Medi Spa’s treatment is designed to take advantage of glutathione’s ability to improve the appearance of skin and achieve a more even tone.

This has been formulated carefully to reduce the visibility of hyperpigmentation by inhibiting the production of melanin. Your skin may start to look noticeably better over time, following a course of our IV treatments, especially if you’re affected by dark patches.

Our glutathione IV treatment is injected directly into the bloodstream, unlike oral supplements. This means it bypasses the stomach and digestive process, enabling your body to absorb more of the glutathione than it would from a pill. The number of treatments required to achieve lighter skin may vary from one patient to another.

Other services available include:

• Vitamin C IV treatment
• Laser peels
• Clear & Brilliant treatments
• Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)

To learn more about Astra Medi Spa’s Glutathione IV treatment, contact our team today.