When it comes to skincare, men and women everywhere are concerned with anti-aging. Let’s face it: getting older happens to every single one of us! Next to wrinkles/elasticity, our biggest issue is discoloration (i.e. sun damage, melasma, or hyperpigmentation).
The skin really is an amazing organ. Melanin, the color in our skin, helps to protect it from damaging UV rays. It is a response to trauma caused to the skin. After a horrific blemish, or after days/weeks/years in the sun, it leaves behind more color to fortify and protect the skin. This is why someone is less likely to burn when they have a “base tan”. Don’t get me wrong, though–like I said–any change in color is a sign of TRAUMA caused to the skin. Along with leaving behind additional color, the sun damages the collagen and elastin proteins in the skin responsible for smoothness, fullness, and elasticity in the skin.
Think of it this way– A fortress being protected by an army is breached. The guards are killed, and the fortress is ransacked. After this raid, the army decides to reinforce the gates with additional infantry…because they don’t want to make the same mistake twice. Similarly, the lack of melanin in your skin may cause it to burn–which causes your skin to produce extra melanin to try and prevent further damage. If this continues to happen, especially over the course of years, this excess melanin may become permanant in some places, resulting ultimately in hyperpigmentation.
What’s a girl to do?
Preventative Measures:
Start young! Religiously apply sunscreen. The best way to treat this is to PREVENT it all-together. For additional tips on sunscreen application including some lesser-known facts, see our previous entry: Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Sunscreen !
Treating the Damage:
We’ve also talked about serums that can treat the damage. Natura Bisse created a wonderful serum last year called DIAMOND WHITE. It is a phenomenal product and results from blind trials have shown it to blow competing products out of the water. We believe it works. So much so, that we love to give away samples of the product so you can see for yourself! All you have to do is ask!
BUT NOW, Natura Bisse has extended their line to include a cleanser, toner, and sunscreen to further treat and protect from hyperpigmentation.
DIAMOND WHITE Rich Luxury Cleanse, 7 oz, $135.
There really isn’t another product out there that provides the same decadent cleansing experience as this! Great morning and night, this product is capable of gently removing makeup, is safe around the eye area, and helps provide luminosity to the skin. Pomegranate extract contains skin-loving antioxidants, and the formula is paraben-free.
DIAMOND WHITE Clarity Toning Lotion, 7 oz, $75.
This toner is oil and paraben-free. Helps tighten pores, balance the pH, and removes any additional traces of makeup or cleanser from the skin. It too has ingredients that help target discoloration.
DIAMOND WHITE SPF 50, 1 oz, $97.
A gorgeous, light-weight sunscreen. The active sunscreen ingredient is Zinc Oxide which is excellent for sensitive skin. Full spectrum protection shields from both UVA and UVB rays. According to information from Natura Bisse, it is, “formulated with depigmenting agents such as Ellagic Acid, a component of Pomegranate extract, this powerfully protective cream interferes with the formation of melanin, visibly correcting the spots on the skin. The melanin-like pigments included in the formula eliminate any unwelcome opaque spots by mimicking the color of the skin regardless of skin tone.” It can be used alone for oily skins, or over your favorite moisturizer for normal to dry skin.
For dryer skins, also consider trying Luminous Shield SPF 50, which sells at $125 for 2.5 oz. It leaves behind a beautiful luminous glow, has a richer texture with more hydration and also targets pigmentation issues.
Although each of these products are designed to target pigmentation, I wouldn’t recommend relying on any one of them solely for this purpose. This collection is designed to work in tandem as a routine that helps minimize pigmentation and keep it from re-occuring.
There currently is no diamond white moisturizer. I would recommend using Diamond Gel Creme, Diamond Extreme Creme, or The Cure Cream in addition to this routine for their firming and lifting benefits.
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