Q. What is hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is an increase in the skin's normal pigmentation in a particular area. There are many different skin colours, but it does not refer to any specific colour. Hyperpigmentation is simply more colour than you normally have in a particular area and can be caused as a result of exposure to harmful UVA and UVB rays, blemish scarring, age spots and hormonal changes.

Q. What are the different types of pigmentation spots that occur on the skin? Are these all caused by the same thing?
There are many different dark spots that can appear on the skin. Melanin is responsible for the colour that we see on our skin, including pigmentation spots, but different dark spots have different triggers. Some of the most common pigmentation spots and their trigggers are:

• Hyperpigmentation due to exposure to UV rays (also know as Age or Dark Spots): When stimulated by UV rays, the normal activity of the skin's internal cells (melanocytes) becomes hyperactive, triggering tyrosinase activity and the overproduction of melanin pigmentation. As a result, over time skin forms these dark spots.
• Hyperpigmentation as a result of scarring, infections or other irritation: Various forms of irritation can lead to dark spots such as abrasions from over-cleansing the skin, cuts, scrapes and wounds, allergic reactions, skin infections and especially blemishes. Some doctors' procedures, such as laser treatments, have the potential to cause hyperpigmentation.
• Melasma or Chlorasma: Appears symmetrically on the upper lip, cheekbones and the lower chin in women over 20. The general understanding is that it is triggered by hormonal changes and is exacerbated by UV exposure. There is also a type that occurs only when pregnant or taking birth control pills and some other medications that impact hormones. In this latter case the discolouration will usually disappear once the pregnancy is over or the person stops taking the drugs.
• Hereditary Freckles: These little spots are inborn and start appearing around the age of three, and most prominently around puberty. After the 30s, they remain more or less the same or become a little lighter. Their relationship to UV rays is still not clear. People with fair skin, red hair, blond hair or blue eyes are more prone to them.

Q. Tell me more about the Melanin and how it works in our skin.
Melanin is the dark pigment that is produced by the skin as a response to assaults from the environment, including UV radiation, infections, allergic reactions and wounds. Melanin is formed by specialised, pigment-producing cells in the epidermis called melanocytes, which are characterised by small, extending arms like an octopus. Each one of these cells touches many other epidermal cells - keratinocytes - in order to distribute melanin.

When the skin is damaged, it triggers a defensive reaction, which sends signals to melanocytes to start making protective measure. As a result, melanocytes release melanin, which works its way up to cap off the top of a skin cell's nucleus. If melanin is continuously and unevenly produced within skin even after the initial damage has subsided, dark spots and discolouration form hyperpigmentationon the surface of the skin.

Q. Can we control or eliminate all kinds of pigmentation?
We can address the dark spots caused by Melasma, Chlorasma and hyperpigmentation due to exposure to UV rays or as a result of scarring, allergic reactions, infections or other irritation with topical skin care. We cannot treat things such as hereditary freckles.

Q. Who is prone to abnormal pigmentation?
What we see is that skin types that inherently have more melanin, or easily respond with melanin, have a higher risk for discolouration. But anyone can be susceptible to abnormal pigmentation. The type of abnormal pigmentation depends on the natural skin tone. For example, if you have more melanin then you may be more likely to get dark spots from irritation or blemish scars. If you have lighter skin then dark spots form where there has been sun damage. Asian skin tends to develop dark spots earlier than Caucasian skin.

While pigmentation has been a primary concern for centuries in Asia, it is becoming a main concern in other areas such as Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. And, while non-Caucasian skin is at a higher risk for some types of pigmentation, Caucasian skin is also susceptible to developing age spots and other pigmentation abonormalities so this is becoming a growing concern among those skin types as well.

Q. How does hyperpigmentation affect women of different ethnicities?
In Caucasian women, hyperpigmentation appears in areas of sun damage as age spots, often following the formation of wrinkles. For black women, hyperpigmentation often results from blemish scarring. For Asian women, their age spots appear earlier than Caucasians and often without wrinkles. And Hispanic women also have clusters of melanin they call "mancha."

Q. Why do you think there is an increased focus in the industry on hyperpigmentation?
Although there are many different causes of hyperpigmentation, sun damage is the biggest culprit. Men and women who used to sunbathe when they were younger are now seeing results of UV damage, also known as age spots, and are actively seeking ways to treat this concern. We are also turning the corner on the focus on tanning. Bright clear skin is now fashionable, and age spots show up more dramatically on this skin. And we finally have the technology that can make a real difference.

Q. What are some of the methods to topically treat hyperpigmentation?
Even the medical community recognises the challengers of treating hyperpigmentation. One of the "gold standard" prescription treatments is 4% hydroquinone, only available when prescribed by a doctor. Alternative effective topical treatments include cosmetic products containing potent antioxidants to help even skin tone.

Q. How are certain antioxidants able to combat hyperpigmentation?
Scientists recognise that the basic reaction for forming melanin is an oxidation reaction, in which colourless nutrients are converted into a coloured pigment called melanin. The whole series of reactions is facilitated by the enzyme tyrosaine. Certain potent antioxidants are actually capable of opposing this oxidative reaction.

Antioxidants, espeically polyphenols, are found in many extracts prepared from plants and include vitamin E, vitamin C, ferulic acid, proanthocyanidin from wine, polyphenols from tea, resveratrol from wine, and genistein from soybeans. These have all shown some success in improving skin tone.

Most notably, the antioxidant which is abundant in the Dianella Ensifolia plant together with other powerful ingredients rivals the performance of 4% Hydroquinine for evening skin tone.