The Casual Mua: How to Treat Hyperpigmentation in 3 steps

As much as it pains me to say this... I don't know everything. Thankfully I have amazing and beautiful friends that not only provide amazing memories and experiences, they also fill in my knowledge gaps and consistently drop gems that help me on my journey to become my most awesome self.  Today, I decide to not share a bit of this with you as I welcome my good friend Vanessa to share her simple, yet effective regiment to treat hyperpigmentation. Don't save I never gave you anything.

Meet Nessa and her really cute turban. Now on to the good stuff.

Since this is my first post on Beauty in Beast Mode, an introduction is necessary. I’m a 24 year old Miami native. After years of practicing, google searching and ol’ fashion trial and error, I have picked up a great deal of knowledge on all things beauty. I like to think of myself as fab but lazy. I don’t like a lot of fuss but I expect the greatest results. I want to share my knowledge with everyone.

The first thing I want to share is how I have recently combated my hyper pigmentation with the use of a few products. Before I get to the good stuff, let’s discuss what hyper pigmentation really is.

Hyper pigmentation is characterized by a darkening of an area of skin caused by overproduction of pigment or melanin. It can be caused by sun damage, inflammation, or acne vulgarism. It is mostly common in people with darker skin (Asian, Mediterranean and African).

With that being said, I have hyper pigmentation from a result of acne scarring. I recently got my acne at bay to where I get one or two pimples a month. However, I suffered with the embarrassing dark spots from puberty up until a year ago. I figured out the secret recipe that helped me erase the dark spots hyper pigmentation has scarred me with. I use four products:

 The first product is my Clarisonic Mia. “How was I cleaning my face before I had this?” This is what I asked myself, quite [audibly] after the first time I used this product. And let’s just say I’ve been saying it internally since 2011. In simpler terms, the Clarisonic Mia is a giant sonic toothbrush for your face. But for technical terms, the Clarisonic Mia is a professional-quality skincare brush. It’s made by the company Sonicare. The sonic frequency moves Clarisonic’s soft, gentle brush back and forth at more than 300 times per second, thoroughly clearing pores and skin’s surface.

1.           It removes makeup six times better than traditional methods.

2.           Clears pores and reduces the appearance of pore size.

3.           Cleanses so thoroughly that skincare products absorbs better.

4.           Creates noticeably healthier looking skin

The 3rd bullet is why you need this product. A cleaner face absorbs more product that will combat hyper pigmentation.

Clarisonic Brush

The second gladiator is Tsubaki Beauty Oil made by BOSCIA. I went into Sephora a few months ago to get another product that I heard was [GREAT] for hyper-pigmentation. After an hour talking to the sales rep and some quick yet extensive research on my handy-dandy iPhone, I bought Tsubaki Beauty Oil. I must say it’s one of my greatest finds. Why do you need this product? It’s a rehydrating oil that adds fatty and omega 3 acids directly to the skin. It repairs damage and supports as well as stimulates collagen production. In short, it’s a cheaper alternative of a trip to your local dermatologist. After a week of using this product, there was a decrease in the visibility in my hyper pigmentation. Now for all my oily and combination skin brethren, I assure you this won’t make you look like the floor of a mechanic’s garage. I like this product because it is lightweight. I wear it under makeup, I wear it in the morning, and I wear it at night. Also, the product is a bit pricey but a little bit goes a long way. I use 2.5 drops of this product, apply to my face, rub it in, and I leave it in to do its job. A great find. (Retail $46)

The last product I use is Michael Todd True Organics Anti Aging Face Lift. It’s a face cream that really is a miracle in a jar. This stuff does virtually everything but file your taxes. It’s a cream that goes on light and makes your skin feel instantly supple. Why should you buy this product? It’s 70% organic. It heals, repairs, and speeds up cell renewal. Also, it will make you look years younger. Renewing skin cells is a great defensive strategy on combating hyper pigmentation. New cells that aren’t heavily pigmented are being produced and thus reversing the dark spots. The only bummer about this product is the price tag. On the Michael Todd website, it retails for $150. However, don’t let this get in the way of beautiful, unblemished skin. The miracle cream can be purchased on Amazon for approximately $40. If you’re lucky and patient you can score this product on Living Social or Groupon for $25-30.

And there you have it. The tools you will need to combat hyper pigmentation. Now, as I said before, I’m fab but lazy. So I’m going to pass on a few tips and tricks for you to get the results you need.

1. Use the Tsubaki oil and True Organics cream within no less than 30 minutes apart of each other. This will allow each product to be absorbed by the skin.

2. I didn't mention it above, but the cleanser I use with my Clarisonic is Dr. Brandt’s Pore No More. It is made for oily and combination skin. It removes impurities, shrinks pores, controls oil, and clears blackheads and whiteheads. (Retail $35)

3. Sunscreen: Although a tool, but I couldn’t give a direct recommendation on that. You will need a sunscreen. Daily sunscreen application will control melanin production. I will leave the choice of sunscreen to you based on what you think it’s best for you and level of comfort.

Thanks for sharing your routine, Nessa.  Now we all know that everyone's skin is different, so take one, or all of the products and steps above and work them into your skin care routine however you see fit.  And this is no one hitter quitter, I'll be sure to bring Nessa back frequently to share skincare and makeup tips, but before we get to the makeup we have to make sure we have a clear canvas.  You can follow Vanessa on both Twitter and Instagram .