Skin spots, skin discolorations, can be of different types: dark spots due to hyper-pigmentation, red spots after a pimple or white spots.
Skin blemishes have various causes and various treatments that we will see together in this article:
- Causes of Skin Spots
- What are the types of skin blemishes?
- Senile lentigo
- Freckles and ephelides
- Melasma and Chloasma
- Post-pimple spots
- White spots on the skin
- How to remove skin blemishes
Causes of Skin Spots
Skin spots can be of different colors and are mainly linked to melanin: depending on its quantity, they can be more or less dark.
Spots begin to form when melanin is not evenly distributed and therefore tends to create spots of different colors, such as brown spots, black spots or even white spots.
Skin spots can be linked for example to:
- genetic factors , as in the case of freckles and lentigines;
- hormonal factors , such as melasma and chloasma (the "mask of pregnancy");
- irritants , which can cause red spots to appear;
- skin diseases , such as rosacea, vitiligo, pityriasis;
- drugs and medical treatments , which in some cases can stain the skin;
- age, senile lentigines;
- UV damage, solar lentigo.
What are the types of skin blemishes?
The most common skin blemishes are the
Senile lentigo
spots of variable color and size that appear on the face, hands, arms and in general on the areas most exposed to the sun.
Very similar in appearance are senile lentigines , also called age spots because they are among the symptoms of skin aging, and can worsen with sun exposure, stress, smoking and an unbalanced lifestyle.
Senile lentigo
Other very common stains are
Freckles and ephelides
, small spots on the skin of the face that have a genetic origin. Their color can vary slightly between summer and winter, due to sun exposure.
Freckles
Melasma and Chloasma
They are dark spots on the skin caused by hormonal changes : estrogens can in fact affect the activity of melanocytes and alter the production of melanin.
These types of skin spots are often found in those taking medications such as birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, or in menopausal women.
It is precisely the activity of hormones that causes this type of gray or brown spots to appear even during pregnancy : this is why they are also called pregnancy spots or pregnancy masks.
Melasma
We can then have red spots, usually
Post-pimple spots
. Post-pimple spots appear especially in cases where we have squeezed the pimple and can last from 3 months to a year. Our body increases the blood flow to the area of the lesion, to promote healing and this causes this redness; if the inflammation increases, for example due to aggressive treatments, the spots can transform from red to dark due to the production of melanin.
Red spots after pimple
We can also find white spots on the skin, which can be caused by excessive exposure to the sun, but also due to autoimmune diseases such as vitiligo or infection by certain fungi.
White spots on the skin
How to remove skin blemishes
When we talk about spots on the skin of the face and body, the ideal would be a good prevention with correct sun exposure and the use of sunscreens with SPF 50 all year round, to protect against the damage of UV rays.
In the case of white spots on the skin , I recommend that you contact a dermatologist as soon as possible who will be able to indicate the most suitable treatment for the type of spots.
If the spots are due to temporary causes, such as pregnancy or drug treatment, I recommend waiting. This type of spot should disappear on its own within a few months of the end of treatment or breastfeeding.
To eliminate dark spots due to age or the sun , you can use an anti-blemish cream or serum, which stimulates cell turnover and hinders the formation of new pigments.
You can use a product that contains lightening and exfoliating ingredients such as:
- snail slime
- vitamin C
- licorice
- phytoretinol
- AHA
Use your anti-blemish treatment consistently, following the instructions on the package and remember that at least 28 days of continuous use are necessary before you start to see the first appreciable results and remember to always use a sunscreen with SPF30 or SPF50.
To eliminate red spots after pimples and acne, use a combination of soothing and lightening active ingredients; redness means that the skin is still regenerating and it is therefore necessary to use active ingredients that combat inflammation.
Pair brightening products with Vitamin C, AHA or Snail Slime with products that contain soothing ingredients such as:
- probiotics
- amino acids
- niacinamide
