Dark spots, known more formally as hyperpigmentation, are a common skin issue. These small spots can make your complexion look uneven, and they can be caused by numerous factors, from sun exposure to acne scarring. Hyperpigmentation can take a toll on your confidence, and dark spots can sometimes be stubborn and tough to get rid of.
Fortunately, there are multiple natural ingredients that can help to minimize the appearance of dark spots! Although dark spots may be frustrating and have a negative effect on your confidence, don’t let them get you down.
In this post, we’ll cover some of the most effective ways to get rid of dark spots on your face using natural skin care ingredients.
What Causes Dark Spots?
Dark spots can appear on your face for multiple reasons. Some of the most common causes of hyperpigmentation are post-breakout scarring and sun damage.
Dark Spots From Acne
If you struggle with acne, you may notice dark spots on your face after a breakout has cleared up. This form of hyperpigmentation is called acne scarring. Scars left behind by breakouts can range from mild to severe, depending on the severity of the acne that you deal with. Blackheads and whiteheads can leave behind scars that are easier to treat.
Severe cystic acne, on the other hand, often results in scarring that is much more stubborn and deep. The scarring caused by cystic acne usually requires prescription-level treatments to go away completely. If you are dealing with extremely stubborn acne scarring that is resistant to milder forms of treatment, it’s best to recruit your dermatologist to help you come up with a treatment plan.
If your acne scarring is more mild, natural ingredients like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, retinol, and more can all improve your complexion. You can use these ingredients in multiple forms to reap their benefits for your skin.
How To Treat Acne Scarring Overnight (Over Time)
When you are dealing with post-breakout scarring, one of the most important aspects of treatment is keeping your skin moisturized and hydrated. Dry skin can make acne scars look worse.
In addition, when your skin is dried out, it can be much more prone to getting itchy, irritated, and oily, which can lead to clogged pores and more breakouts. Stopping the vicious cycle of acne and scarring involves providing your skin with the moisture that it needs to stay soothed and hydrated.
If you want to minimize the appearance of acne scars as fast as possible, it’s essential to provide your skin with a powerful boost of moisture.
Hyaluronic acid serum from goPure is one of the most effective methods of quickly hydrating and nourishing your skin to reduce the appearance of acne scars. Acne scars look far worse when your skin is dry, and hyaluronic acid can help to keep your skin from getting red, raw, irritated, and dried out.
To use hyaluronic acid serum, simply take a few drops of this lightweight, liquid-based treatment and spread it evenly throughout your face using your fingers – make sure your hands are clean first!
Hyaluronic acid serum works best when it is applied to clean, dry skin. To get your skin ready for the serum, start your beauty routine with a refreshing, gentle cleanser. goPure’s vitamin C cleanser is the perfect precursor to a hydrating serum that includes hyaluronic acid.
Another effective treatment for acne scarring is retinol. Retinol, a powerful form of vitamin A, can help to minimize the appearance of complexion problems like dark spots, wrinkles, lines, and more. Retinol is often used as an anti-aging ingredient, but it can also be used to reduce the appearance of acne scars.
In cases where acne scarring is more severe, a dermatologist may recommend a retinoid, which is a prescription-level version of retinol. In many cases, though, retinol is enough to minimize the appearance of acne scarring. Unlike retinoids, retinol is available without a prescription.
One of the best ways to minimize the appearance of acne scarring with retinol is through using retinol cream at night.
The evening is the best time to use retinol, since the ingredient can sometimes make your skin slightly more sensitive to the sun. When you use retinol cream, you can apply a generous amount after using any lighter products like cleanser, toner, exfoliator, and serums. Saving heavier products like creams, lotions, or gels for after lighter products will help to ensure that your skin can absorb all of the ingredients in your lighter products as well as possible.
Another effective treatment for dark spots caused by acne is glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is a gentle exfoliator, making it ideal to use on acne-prone skin. Harsher exfoliators that contain abrasive particles and synthetic chemicals are bad news for acne-prone skin, and glycolic acid is a perfect gentle alternative to these products.
When you use glycolic acid to exfoliate your skin, you are getting soothing moisture in addition to gentle exfoliation.
Exfoliating removes dead skin cells from the surface of your face, making room from softer, smoother, clearer skin. When dead skin cells build up on your face, the appearance of dark spots can be much worse. In addition, dead skin cells can clog your pores, leading to more breakouts and, consequently, more scarring. Glycolic acid can help to stop the cycle of breakouts and scarring in its tracks, leaving you with skin that you can feel great about.
Glycolic acid serum can be used at night and paired with retinol cream to minimize the appearance of acne scarring or other forms of dark spots. Like other serums, glycolic acid serum is best used before heavier products like lotion, cream, or gel.
You can exfoliate with glycolic acid serum multiple times weekly, but you don’t need to use the serum every night. Three to four weekly uses of a gentle exfoliator is enough for your skin to stay soft, smooth, and clear!
Clearing Dark Spots From Sun Damage
Too much exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can wreak havoc on your complexion over time. Sun damage can make your skin look more aged, and it can also cause your complexion to become uneven in texture and pigment. Overexposure to the sun can cause dark spots as well.
For dark spots and an overall uneven complexion caused by sun damage, one of the best treatments to use is vitamin C serum.
Vitamin C can naturally brighten your skin, evening out your complexion and reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation. This powerful antioxidant is especially effective when used in the form of a serum. Serums contain high concentrations of their main ingredients, and using a vitamin C serum to treat dark spots gives your skin as much vitamin C as possible.
Before applying vitamin C serum, always make sure to cleanse your skin with a gentle cleanser. A refreshing, gentle cleanser can help to get rid of any makeup, excess oil, or grime on your face that might clog your pores and make dark spots more visible.
After cleansing, you can apply a few drops of vitamin C serum to your face, distributing the serum evenly into your skin. Vitamin C serum can be used in the morning and evening, and it’s gentle enough even for the most sensitive skin.
To reduce the appearance of dark spots in the morning, you can pair vitamin C serum with goPure’s refreshing vitamin C day cream for a boost of moisture and nourishment for your skin. Since retinol cream is best saved for the evening, vitamin C cream makes the perfect alternative for your AM beauty routine.
Keeping your skin moisturized is an essential aspect of skincare. When you are dealing with dark spots, using a moisturizer like goPure’s vitamin C cream in the morning and evening can help to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation over time.
A gentle, soothing moisturizer can also help to keep your skin from getting irritated, raw, and red. Less irritation can lead to fewer dark spots, and calming and soothing your skin with moisturizer is an ideal means of keeping irritation at bay.
Will These Products Work Overnight?
The all-natural ingredients in goPure’s products can have a dramatic impact on your skin, even overnight, but don’t expect magic!
Caring for your skin with natural skin care products can help to quickly reduce the appearance of dark spots without the use of any harsh chemicals or other synthetic additives. However, getting rid of dark spots often takes time, diligence, and patience. If your dark spots don’t go away immediately, don’t give up!
Hyperpigmentation can sometimes take several months to go away completely. Using natural, powerful ingredients to care for your skin is the best and fastest way to reduce the appearance of dark spots, and it’s worth the wait if results take time to show up!
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0733863505701509
https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00128071-200001050-00001
