Dark Spots

What are dark spots?

Dark spots – medically hyperpigmentation – are areas where the skin produces more melanin than the skin around them. Melanin is our natural pigment and protects the skin from UV rays. When its production gets out of balance, brown, greyish-brown or reddish-brown spots appear.

What types are there?

• Sun spots (lentigines): Small, sharply defined brown spots in areas often exposed to the sun – face, hands, décolletage. They are also called age spots.
• Melasma: Larger, patchy discolouration, often symmetrical on the forehead, cheeks and upper lip. Hormones (pregnancy, the pill) and sun play a big role.
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: Dark marks left behind after spots, scratches or irritation. Especially common on darker skin.

What helps with dark spots?

1. Sun protection – every day: Without consistent sunscreen, spots keep coming back. UV radiation is the most important trigger.
2. Brightening actives: They slow down melanin production at different points – more on that below.
3. Gentle exfoliation: Chemical exfoliation with AHA speeds up the renewal of the top layer of skin, so pigmented cells are shed faster.
4. Patience: Pigment sits deep. Expect eight to twelve weeks before you see clear changes.

The most important brightening actives:

• Niacinamide inhibits the transfer of pigment into the skin cells.
• Vitamin C is an antioxidant and inhibits the enzyme tyrosinase.
• Tranexamic acid is especially popular for melasma.
• Alpha arbutin and kojic acid also inhibit tyrosinase.
• Azelaic acid helps with post-acne marks and blemishes at the same time.

A simple routine for dark spots

• Morning: gentle cleanser, vitamin C or niacinamide serum, moisturiser, SPF 50 sunscreen.
• Evening: cleanser, serum with tranexamic acid, alpha arbutin or kojic acid, an AHA exfoliant two to three times a week, moisturiser.

Don’t pick at spots – every inflammation can leave a new mark. Always have new or changing spots checked by a doctor, especially if they are irregular in shape, growing or have several colours.

Korean skincare for dark spots

From our range: the Pore+ Dark Spot Brightening Cream by celimax, the Centella 4% TXA Dark Spot Go Away Serum by Haruharu Wonder, the Kojic Acid Turmeric Niacinamide Serum by medicube, the Dark Spot Brightening Serum by KOJI WHITE and the Advanced The Vitamin C 23 Serum by COSRX. You’ll find more in our dark spots collection.

What does the research say?

In a clinical study, a cream with 5% niacinamide reduced facial hyperpigmentation after four weeks significantly more than the comparison cream without the active (Hakozaki et al., British Journal of Dermatology, 2002).