DARK SPOTS IN BLACK WOMEN: YOUR BEST HOME REMEDIES

 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

A concerned woman suffering from dark spots /Photo Credit/ Andrea Piacquadio

Quick Facts

Ø Hyperpigmentation is the most common skin condition diagnosed among black women

Ø At least two-thirds of black women experience hyperpigmentation

Ø American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) shows that only 10 percent of black male suffer from melasma.  

Is It a Concern?

Whereas, dark spots also known as hyperpigmentation is not a serious medical condition. A 2014 study showed that two-thirds of black women suffer from post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne and are concerned about it. As a black woman, you have a valid reason to worry about dark spots on your skin. More black women than any other ethnic group are prone to acne. Acne is one of the causes of hyperpigmentation. Further, dark spots have a tendency of severity and longevity among black women compared to light skinned women. Though hyperpigmentation is harmless, it might affect your self-esteem due to the psychological stress impact it carries.  The thoughts of always having to deal with some dark skin might result in low-esteem.

Having these types of worries might impact the quality of your life. The anxiety that comes with living with dark spots is strong enough to lower the quality of your life. Dark spots are caused by various underlying causes such as, hormonal changes, especially when a woman becomes pregnant, sun exposure, some medicines, and acne. Whereas, dark spots that occur as a result of hormonal changes and medicine vanish after some time. Dark spots, which appear on your skin due to acne takes longer to heal after acne treatment. The variations mainly depend on the types of skin. Black skin comes in different tones and sheds. As a result, some women might be more prone to dark spots than other black women due to their skin tone. It is important to understand the type of your skin when dealing with dark spots.

Black women in particular are at a higher risk of developing hyperpigmentation compared to their male counterparts. Dark spots on a black skin looks like grey-brown or dark-brown patches. The most common areas, where dark spots appear include but not limited to forehead, cheeks, upper lips, nose, and chin. Naturally, black people have more melanocytes than light-skinned people. What this means is that black women are more likely to develop dark spots than white women. Because black women are more likely to have more pigmentation in their skin. The pigmentation comes about when melanocytes overproduce pigmentation in the skin. Dark spots can also be referred to as, melasma. Melasma is common among persons who are in their 20s or 30s. In some occasions, dark spots might not occur until people get to their 40s.

A group of happy friends excited about dark spot home remedies/ Photo Credit /nappy 

Home Remedies

Dark spots are prone to female than male skins. Reports from American Academy of Dermatology shows that only ten percent of people who suffer from dark spots or melasma are male. To help you stop being anxious or self-conscious about the appearance of your skin due to hyperpigmentation. Discover these home remedies, which can help you manage your dark spots. Some of these remedies are accessible in the home, thereby, making treatment more accessible. The fact that dark spots are not serious medical condition means that you can safely try some of these options at the comfort of your home. The mention of aloe vera becomes valuable when you experience hyperpigmentation. As a home remedy, aloe vera has aloesin and aloin compounds, which helps with lightening your skin. All you have to do is to apply the gel from fresh aloe vera leaf on the dark spot and massage it to enter the dark spot.

Once you have massaged the gel into the affected area, leave it on your skin for at least 20 to 30 minutes before cleaning your skin. Milk is a common liquid in most homes. Milk has lactic acid, which also assist with skin lightening. Soak a cotton ball in either buttermilk or sour milk and apply it on the dark skin. Red onion extract is your next home remedy. Go for the dried skin of red onion as it also helps to lighten your skin from inflammation of the dark spots.  Sweet almond oil can be used as either a moisturizer or makeup removal, which helps with relieving dark spots on your skin.  Turmeric can help your skin by inhibiting the production of melanin, thereby, preventing dark spots from developing on your skin. Apple Cider Vinegar contain acetic acid that also works on your dark spot by lightening pigmentation.

A grateful woman appreciating having successfully fought dark spots /Photo Credit /Tony James-Andersson 

There are several other home remedy exercises you can experiment with. However, the solutions mentioned in this article are best for black women skin. The chances of you ridding your skin of dark spots using any of the home remedies are high. There are definitely variations in terms of how dark spots impacts the skin and healing. How soon or how long your skin heals from dark spots depend solely on the type of your skin tone. Some women experience changes sooner than others. If you try any of the mentioned home remedies and get a little frustrated, do not give up. Keep applying and wait for results. When it comes to home remedies, sometimes, ‘wait and see’ policy is your best attitude. Overall, remain hopeful when treating your dark spots. In circumstances, where you feel that your dark spots are becoming stubborn despite several attempts. Consult a dermatologist to help you with the best advice and way forward. 

Knowing your skin care options as a black woman is more important than whether one home remedy works or does not work on your skin tone. Black women are a different group of people. As a result, it is always important to scale down your solutions to the type of your skin and ethnicity. The mere fact that you are a black woman does not mean that treatments prescribed for black women will work on you. Always value the urge of digging deeper and going an extra mile when addressing the needs of your skin. Understand that as a black woman you are different from other black women. To that end, pursue your solutions as an individual as opposed to cohort. Our bodies respond differently to various treatments and exposures. Don’t panic when your dark spots take longer to heal.