Inflammation Causes Hyperpigmentation
Why Does Inflammation Cause Hyperpigmentation?
Inflammation causes hyperpigmentation of the skin. This is why dark spots often occur on the skin after acne, injury, a skin rash, or a burn.
This means that if you have sensitive skin which is characterized by inflammation, you are at a higher risk of developing uneven skin pigmentation due to hyperpigmentation.
Inflammation can be caused by many inflammatory different skin issues and is most commonly seen in sensitive skin types. Inflammation, regardless of the cause, can lead to hyperpigmentation. This occurs because, during inflammation, the immune system is activated which sends signals to the melanocytes to make the pigment melanin.
Brown and Black Skin Turns Darker After Acne or a Rash
Pigmented Baumann Skin Types have skin cells that are more easily stimulated to make melanin pigment. Darker melanized skin types are particularly susceptible to getting post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH or post inflammatory pigment alteration known as PIPA). This means that brown and black sensitive skin types are at a high risk of developing dark spots after pimples, a cut, or a rash. This is because inflammation causes hyperpigmentation, especially in brown and black skin tones.
Click here for advice on how to treat dark spots and black rashes on darker skin.
Why Skin Turns Darker or Black After A Rash or Scratching
Black skin from scratching occurs because of inflammation. Scratching the skin causes a wound or injury to the skin. This turns on various inflammatory cascades that signal melanocytes to make melanin. The dark skin from scratching remains even after the wound has healed and can be difficult to treat.
Eczema Causes Skin To Darken
Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is an inflammatory skin condition that is very itchy. The inflammation causes hyperpigmentation in many eczema suffers and the pigment can last long after the eczema rash goes away. Scratching eczema can cause skin to darken. Brown and black skin tends to turn very dark in areas of eczema. These dark patches should be treated with both an eczema cream and skin lightening products.
Dark Skin From a Rash
When you get a rash, skin is red, itchy and inflamed. This skin inflammation can be caused by irritation, allergy, infections, friction, burns or wounds. Regardless of the cause of the rash, the skin inflammation causes hyperpigmentation. To get rid of the dark skin patches from a rash, you must first get rid of the cause of the rash. For example, if you have a skin allergy, you need to avoid any skin care ingredients that you are allergic to.
Inflammation Causes Hyperpigmentation
In order to effectively treat hyperpigmentation, you must first identify if inflammation is causing the dark patches on your skin, and if so, use products that will stop the skin inflammation. You can identify if your skin has inflammation and other barriers to skin health by taking our dermatologist-developed Baumann Skin Type Quiz.
The quiz is important because it will help to identify what issues may be contributing to your skin inflammation.
For example, Dehydration can cause the skin to become inflamed. If you have dry skin, you'll need a barrier repair moisturizer and a creamy cleanser as part of your skincare routine to help soothe and hydrate it.
If you have acne, rosacea, skin allergies or frequent skin rashes, your sensitive skin is more likely to develop discoloration- especially if you have skin of color (melanized brown or black skin).
What Do Dermatologists Recommend for Hyperpigmentation?
When a dermatologist prescribes a skincare routine to help prevent dark skin after rashes, pimples, burns and injury, they will focus on two types of skin care products- products to lighten skin and to treat sensitive skin. In this skin care routine to prevent skin from getting darker after inflammation, you need anti-inflammatory ingredients and skin-lightening ingredients.
Our dermatologists understand that inflammation causes hyperpigmentation and have designed regimens that block inflammation from occurring and discourage melanocytes from making melanin. We use ingredients that will calm the skin while inactivating melanocytes to block pigment production.
For example, if you have rosacea and hyperpigmentation, a rosacea skincare routine must be combined with gentle hyperpigmentation creams that do not irritate sensitive skin and make the pigmentation worse.
Using the right anti-inflammatory ingredients can help reduce itch, prevent scratching, and reduce the skin injury that causes skin to darken.
It is important to take the quiz so we know all the underlying skin issues you have.
Once your underlying skin conditions are identified, ingredients from these categories will be used to target dark spots on the skin without worsening your inflammation:
Sunscreens
Every step within your skincare routine is important because skincare products can react with each negatively and cause skin sensitivity. This will worsen inflammation and cause pigmentation.
For example, you need a cleanser for hyperpigmentation as well as a moisturizer that matches your skin type, making your skin-lightening products and skin soothing products work more effectively.
Treating skin pigmentation of any cause is similar to how we treat melasma, so you can follow this skincare routine advice even if you do not have melasma.
Reducing skin inflammation is the most important step in a skin care routine. Inflammation causes hyperpigmentation, skin aging, and can injure the skin barrier.
So make sure your entire skin care routine is correct for your Baumann Skin Type. We can help you customize the best skin care routine for your skin type and shop by your skin type.
