Home Remedies For Skin Pigmentation: Causes and Treatment

Pigmentation is a natural occurrence that occurs when the pigment melanin is present in excess or very less quantities. Skin pigmentation can be caused due to damage from too much time out in the sun, autoimmune conditions, genetic inheritance, hormonal imbalances, or reactions to certain drugs. It could appear either as skin pigmentation spots, freckles, hyper pigmentation, moles, or liver spots.

There are various kinds of skin pigmentation that could affect you.

• Albinism: An inherited trait that leads to the person having light or white skin.
• Birthmarks: Immediately after your birth, this skin pigmentation may appear at some part of your body; they are not harmful.
• Hyper pigmentation: If there is too much melanin produced, it leads to the skin getting darker than normal. Aging spots, birthmarks, and moles indicate hyper pigmentation.
• Hypo pigmentation: When your body produces insufficient melanin, it leads to lighter or whiter skin.
• Litchen simplex chronicus: Dark pigmentation forms and tends to cause severe itching.
• Melasma: This affects pregnant women as is caused due to hormones; a dark mask could appear on the bridge of your nose, cheeks and neck, but it goes away after the child is born.
• Port-wine stains: When capillaries grow abnormally it causes purple or red marks on the body.
• Vitiligo: White patches form on your skin and tend to be highly sensitive to the sun.

Treatment for skin pigmentation will depend on the kind of skin condition that you are suffering from. Treatments could include prescription creams that contain chemicals that will help reduce your pigmentation, chemical peels, dermabrasion or microdermabrasion, laser therapy, excimer laser therapy, phototherapy, or psolarens. Consult your dermatologist on which treatment plan is the best for your skin condition.

There are a few simple home remedies for skin pigmentation as well; however, it is best to consult a doctor first or if the pigmentation worsens.

• Almonds: In some cases you could suffer from pigmentation and dry skin. To get rid of the pigmentation, you first have to rectify your dry skin. Soak almonds in water overnight; in the morning, remove the skin and mix it with milk or cream to form a pack. Apply this mixture on the areas of your face that are pigmented for 20 minutes. Almonds contain nutrients and natural fatty acids that moisturize dry skin, while getting rid of pigmentation at the same time.
• Avocados: Crush the avocado into a paste, and use it on the pigmented areas. You can also cut the avocado and press the juice onto your skin directly. Avocadoes contain natural ingredients that aid with skin rejuvenation and healing. They work especially well for those suffering from hyper pigmentation. Avoid using avocado if you have a latex allergy.
• Bananas and guavas: Blend a banana and the pulp of a guava together to form a pack. Apply it on your face and let it remain there for 15 to 20 minutes. Follow this every day for good results. Bananas and guavas help in lightening pigmented skin and exfoliating it as well.
• Castor oil: Use castor oil along with vitamin E on the pigmented areas. This home remedy will give you smooth skin and get rid of your patches and blemishes.
• Cocoa butter: Rub cocoa butter on the skin pigmentation spots and slowly massage it into your skin. Cocoa butter is useful for those suffering from hyper pigmentation as it contains antioxidant properties that aid in relaxing and healing the affected skin.
• Cucumber and lemon juice: Combine cucumber and lemon juice together in equal proportions and apply it on your face in the morning and evening. Let the solution be on your face for 20 minutes before washing it off.
• Orange peel: Create a paste by mixing orange peel powder with raw milk, and apply it on the areas that have pigmentation. Wash your face after 20 minutes. It works as a good skin lightener.
• Papaya: Extract the juice from the papaya by grating it. Use the juice on the pigmented area regularly for a month to see positive results. Papaya helps exfoliate your skin as it contains the enzyme papain.
• Raw potato: Cut a medium sized potato in half and add a few drops of water on the surface. Rub the potato on the areas that are pigmented. You can also squeeze out potato juice by grating it and applying the juice on your face. Rinse your face after half an hour with warm water. Continue this for a month to see a difference in your pigmented skin. Potatoes are good for those suffering from dark circles, melasma, hypo pigmentation, and hyper pigmentation.
• Strawberry: For lighter complexion, crush strawberries and apply it on your face. Wash off the pack from your face after 15 minutes.
• Vinegar: Dilute vinegar in water before applying it on your face as it is highly acidic in nature. It acts as a good exfoliating agent to get rid of dead skin.
• Vitamin E gel caplets: Apply 400 gm caplets before going to sleep on the pigmented areas.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skinpigmentationdisorders.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001834/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001832/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001830/