Hyperpigmentation can be caused by UV damage, acne scars, melasma, freckles, or hormonal imbalances. Addressing the underlying cause is important before treating. The author found success using a combination of natural remedies including apple cider vinegar applied daily, vitamin E oil, a natural hyperpigmentation cream, lemon or lime juice, oatmeal face masks, turmeric supplements, and a healthy diet. Sun damage faded within 2 months while acne scarring took 12-16 weeks to significantly lighten. Perseverance is key as there are no quick fixes for hyperpigmentation.

1. How To Remove Hyperpigmentation From The Face
What Worked For Me
Over the course of the last 15 years or so, I’ve tried
numerous ways to remove hyperpigmentation from my
face. Some cases were quite easy to deal with, others,
hideously stubborn.
Getting rid of those dark patches of skin can be made a
lot easier if you know what caused them, as there are
quite a few reasons as to why they appear. Once you
know the underlying cause, your chances of getting rid of
any darker pigmentation marks are high. So here my top
tips on what creams, remedies and treatments to try (and
what not to try) and what has worked for me.

2. What Is The Cause?
Before you go about trying to remove
hyperpigmentation, you need to know what caused it
in the first place. If you don’t know already – find out,
this is a major factor when deciding what treatments
would work best for you.
Hyperpigmentation on the face comes in many shapes
and forms, the main cause is skin trauma of some
kind, along with hormonal and hereditary issues.
Here’s a breakdown of the likely causes.

3. UV Damage - Over exposure to the elements – sun, cold and wind can all
contribute to skin damage on the face. This will lead to age spots and darker
patches of skin.
Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (Acne Scars) Recurring bouts of acne
make many peoples lives a misery, and to add insult to injury, acne can leave
significant scarring on the face.
Melasma – Melasma usually effects women during pregnancy, hence the
nickname – “mask of pregnancy”, but can also affect men. Melasma appears as
brown patches of skin on the forehead, cheeks or nose, often all three.
Freckles - Freckles are probably the most common form of hyperpigmentation.
Affects the fair skinned, and is usually hereditary. More freckles appear with
exposure to the sun.
Hormonal Imbalances - Hormonal balance occurs when the body goes
through change of some kind, birth control pills, illness, stress or just natural
change can all effect your skin.
This is a shortlist of the main causes of hyperpigmentation, but by no means
conclusive. There could be numerous other reasons for it to appear, but this will
give you a good idea as to what may be causing the pigmentation changes on
your face.

4. Address The Cause First
Once you know what is causing your
hyperpigmentation, it’s time to address it.
There’s no point in trying to remove
hyperpigmentation if you don’t address the
cause, you will just end up in an endless cycle
of treating it and it reappearing.

5. UV Protection – In the words of Baz Luhrmann – “If I could offer you only one tip for the
future, sunscreen would be it“. One cause of hyperpigmentation on my face was down to
over exposure to sun and wind. I spend a lot of time in, on or around the ocean, so over
the years I damaged the skin on my face by not protecting it from the elements. I used
sunscreen all the time, but not a high enough SPF (sun protection factor) and didn’t apply
it often enough. The result was darker patches on my cheekbones, forehead and nose.
Protect your skin at all times with a good quality suncreen.
Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (acne scars) – Sufferers of recurring bouts of
acne are in an endless cycle of skin trauma and skin repair. This cycle leads to scarring
of the skin, and is a notoriously hard form of hyperpigmentation to remove. The best
advise is to try and treat the cause of the acne outbreaks before you try to remove the
scarring. There are numerous reasons for recurring outbreaks – hormonal imbalances,
skin type, diet and lifestyle can all contribute. I can sympathize with sufferers of
hyperpigmentation scarring, as my second case of hyperpigmentation was due to scars
left from the chicken pox virus. (I was 39 and that’s another story!) The virus left many
pigmentation scars, especially on the face, where the pox had been.
Hormonal Imbalance – Homonal imbalances can be a major factor in any kind of
hyperpigmentation. Pregnancy will obviously cause hormonal balance, and birth control
pills are notorious for causing darker areas of skin on the face. Stopping birth control
altogether, or changing brands will help. Stress, lack of sleep and bad diet can all effect
the skin.

6. Removing Hyperpigmentation From The Face.
Personally, I’m a big believer in a natural approach to treating
hyperpigmentation, as it has worked for me, but there are numerous clinical
procedures to choose from. Laser treatments and microdermabrasion do
have good success rates, but treatments can be pricey. I believe you might
consider these treatments as a last resort if all else fails.
An alternative to these procedures is the home acid peel. Despite it’s name
“acid peel”, acid peels are natural substances. The most popular acid peel is
Glycolic acid, a substance derived from sugar cane. Other popular peels are
Salicylic acid (extracted from willow tree bark) and Lactic acid (sourced from
soured milk). There are excellent reports of how well a home acid peel can
work on the appearance of hyperpigmentation, especially cases of post
inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
I have tried almost everything you can imagine to remove
hyperpigmentation, home remedies, obscure Chinese herbal mixtures, and
applied gloop to my face mixed from all manner of plants and fruits. BUT,
with much trial and error, I succeeded.

7. What Worked For Me
Here I’m going list what I’ve tried with varying degrees
of success. Bear in mind that there is no “instant fix”
for hyperpigmentation, and that includes top dollar
clinical treatments. Everything you try should be given
a “fair go”, and remember that you will only see results
if you persevere.

8. Apple Cider Vinegar
As far as I’m concerned, this stuff is miraculous. An
age old remedy for just about everything. Apple cider
vinegar has amazing health benefits, not least, the
appearance of your skin. Drink this twice a day –
morning and night, and apply it to the darker skin once
a day with a cotton pad or ball. As a drink, add 2
tablespoons to half a glass of warm water and add 1
tablespoon of honey to taste. The stuff you’re after is
the organic kind and will often say on the label – “With
The Mother”. Bragg’s Organic Cider Vinegar is what I
use.

9. Vitamin E Oil
You can buy this in bottle form or in capsules,
Personally I use the capsules and nip one end
off with scissors and squeeze onto the skin.
Amazingly beneficial for the skin.

10. Natural Hyperpigmentation Cream
There are literally hundreds to choose from, and I’ve
tried a few, but the one I had the most success with
was Meladerm. I used the cream at the same time as
applying apple cider vinegar, and I’m pretty sure the
combination of both was why I had such success. I
applied the apple cider vinegar once every evening
and the cream twice a day – in the morning and before
bed.
(A note on creams: I opted for Meladerm because it
contains no hydroquinone or other any other
chemicals harmful to your health, it contains 100%
natural ingredients.)

11. Lemon or Lime
I thought I was getting somewhere with using lemon
juice to lighten my hyperpigmentation scars, as they
were definitely looking lighter. Unfortunately my skin is
quite sensitive and it was too acidic for me. You could
try diluting a little with some water if you have the
same problem. Just squeeze the juice of a lemon into
a glass and apply it, or put slices directly on the skin.

12. Oatmeal Face Mask
I’m pretty sure this face mask was beneficial, oatmeal
contains enzymes and minerals that can really help to
repair damaged skin. Leave on for 30 minutes then
rinse off with warm water.
1 x Cupful of cooked oatmeal mixed with a little natural
yogurt
1 x tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)

13. Turmeric
Turmeric is another of natures miracles. Amazing
health benfits and especially good for the skin. The
best way to use turmeric is to buy a good quality
organic supplement, and take once a day.

14. Diet
I can already here you groaning :) but your diet
will really help the appearance of your skin.
Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and drink lots
of water until you’re sick of the sight of it. When
I first started out, I didn’t think this would be as
beneficial as everyone was saying, but it really
does help. Cutting down on the junk food,
caffeine and chocolate, and eating and drinking
more healthily will have an amazing effect on
your skin.

15. And there it is, I believe a combination of all of the above
has helped me to remove the hyperpigmentation marks
from my face. My sun damage faded over a 2 month
period, getting rid of the scarring took longer, 12 weeks
and they were starting to fade, 16 weeks and they were
barely noticable.
As I said earlier, there is no “quick fix”, so perseverance
is the key. If something definitely isn’t working, try
something else. But as with all skin treatments, it will take
time and patience.
More on treating hyperpigmentation at:
besthyperpigmentationcreams.com