Consultation for Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

Posted by Selina on April 30, 2014 · 6 Comments 

The discolouration of my skin has bothered me for quite some time now. With my medium indian skin tone, my face and neck are at least a few shades darker than the rest of me due to the chronic inflammation I have suffered during years of constant eczema flare ups.

 

Post- Inflammatory hyperpigmentation is caused by conditions such as eczema and acne which cause inflammation. This stimulates melanocytes to increase the production of melanin (that which gives us our skin colour). In darker skin individuals like myself, hyperpigmentation is more prominent due to the darker melanin build up and since I have suffered from eczema on my face and neck predominantly, it also means these areas have suffered most.

 

Now do not get wrong, I cannot complain. The eczema is at an all time low, like literally this is the clearest my skin has EVER been since I was 16. However, as it has cleared up I have begun to notice just how much damage the eczema has done, not only that but I am now breaking out with acne which is contributing to even more dark spots on my face which are prominent.

 

Here is a photo of my skin post night time skin routine hence the greasiness of my skin! I lather up my neck before bed due to its dryness so it isn’t the most attractive photo but thought I should express my hyperpigmentation with photos!

 

Not the prettiest photo but the moisture highlights the darkness of pigmentation anyhow.

 

Here is a photo of me WITH MAKE UP on and as you can see my neck and face are shades darker than my chest area. Though people do not tend to notice this dramatically on meeting me, photos of it show it more clearly hence it can sometimes be problematic for me personally when I see photos and see this darkness staring out at me….It also prevents me from wearing my hair back as then I feel my neck is exposed and on view especially if I’m wearing a lower cut top.

 

 

So I decided to visit sk:n clinic for a consultation (this is based in the UK) to see if there was anything I could do.  I had to pay £25 deposit for the appointment (which I get back) and I saw a specialist nurse in one of the Birmingham clinics. My skin was analysed with a UV scanner and the nurse gave me recommendations. Firstly I have to say, the consultation itself was great. The nurse made me feel comfortable and answered all of my questions well.

 

My neck had a lot of PIH which I knew would be the case as this has been the worst area for me, and my face showed signs but was mainly oily as a primary concern when my skin was analysed. I was recommended a course of Mandelic Peels….now they sounded great I’ll admit, they are for sensitive skin types and don’t actually make your skin peel like harsh chemical peels, instead they improve skin more gently. Nonetheless the £615 price tag for a set of 4 peels was astounding a price for me, just unrealistic for me to want to spend – especially since results vary person to person and there are no guarantees 4 would be enough for me….Now maybe you would spend £600 but I just thought that price tag was a bit too far!

 

So reluctant to undergo such expensive, the nurse recommended I use a skin lightening cream, now no this is not a cream to make me white (it would never happen without bleach which is dangerous and unsafe so I would not recommend!), but it acts as a melanin inhibitor to reduce future dark spots and helps to fade current marks hence its ‘lightening’ effects. I was also advised to change to an acne solving moisturiser now that my skin had become oily and not a heavy one for eczema .As always I was advised to always use an SPF daily to ensure no further damage to my skin. Now tans can appear to make dark spots ‘disappear’ but as soon as the tan fades, they just become more prominent and therefore, it is best to use sunscreen daily and to avoid tanning the hyperpigmentation and dark spots further. Even though I have a darker skin type (at least type 3 or 4) , I still protect my skin with SPF 30 as I do not want sun damage to worsen the PIH.

 

I have been using Thiospot Intensive cream as the skin lightening cream and as of yet, not noticing any improvement (it has been a week) but I am feeling that the darkness is more prominent. I am hoping it is ‘coming off’ in essence as a result of the cream, because at the moment, the cream makes me feel like my skin is grubby 😦

 

 

Anyway I will update on this soon, I have also done research into alternates for mandelic peels and am excited to share with you! Hopefully I can get results whilst avoiding the salon costs!

 

 

Have you used anything for dark spots and hyperpigmentation? If so, let us know by commenting below 🙂

 

 

Filed under Beauty, Emotional Side of Eczema, Facial Eczema, My Eczema Journal/ Updates, Reviews of Products