Pigmentation can show up in different places and be caused by different root causes. Let’s break it down into three main areas:
- Sun-induced pigmentation
- Hormone-induced pigmentation
- Liver-induced pigmentation
Knowing where your pigmentation comes from is the first step in treating it effectively.
Summer induced pigmentation. The summer brings more sun, heat, and often, more pigmentation issues. If you struggle with pigmentation, summer can be really frustrating. Heat and sun exposure can bring pigmentation out in full force. Here’s why: when the sun’s rays hit the oxygen in your skin, it creates free radicals, increasing inflammation. This triggers melanocytes to produce more melanin as protection, which shows up as dark spots and uneven tone. What many people don’t realize is that there’s often damage or inflammation under the surface, and the body sends melanin up to protect that area, which ends up looking like darker skin.
Hormone Induced Pigmentation. Pigmentation from hormones often shows up as melasma, especially during pregnancy. The liver is responsible for processing these hormones in our body. When there’s a surge of hormones, like during pregnancy, it sends strong signals through the bloodstream that can disrupt the body’s natural balance. This surge stimulates inflammatory pathways, especially in the liver and gut. That inflammation creates a kind of “wound” signal that gets sent to the skin. In response, the skin produces more melanin (pigment) to protect itself from the perceived damage. This often shows up as patchy pigmentation, like melasma. So while it may look like just a skin issue, it’s actually the body’s protective response to internal inflammation and imbalance. The good news: melasma from pregnancy is often easier (though not easy) to heal, because it comes from your own natural hormone shifts rather than external medications.
Hormonal medications can put extra strain on the liver and often lead to melasma. Birth control pills, for example, cause melasma in about 1 out of every 3 people. Many anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications can also trigger melasma, showing up as patchy pigmentation on the face.
Melasma on the cheeks, stretching from the temples to the jawline, is often linked to high levels of estrogen. Melasma on the upper lip can be triggered by testosterone or a type of estrogen called estrone. Melasma on the forehead is often associated with elevated progesterone levels, such as those caused by the Depo-Provera shot.
Liver induced Pigmentation. Liver-induced pigmentation can happen when the liver is damaged by certain hormones found in food, especially meat and dairy. Ex. bovine growth hormone. There’s also a strong emotional connection between anger and pigmentation. Unprocessed or buried anger can make healing liver spots more difficult. It’s important to look for hidden sources of anger and find healthy ways to release and process and release those emotions.
To address pigmentation holistically, support your liver (Osmosis Regenerate), reduce inflammation through diet and hydration, and protect skin with daily SPF. Topically, use Osmosis Rescue to calm inflammation and Catalyst to help correct pigment. In the treatment room, my Vitamin A Infusion with RevitaPen helps fade stubborn spots gently, while strengthening the skin barrier.
My go to solutions:
Daily mineral sunscreen is non-negotiable.
Osmosis Rescue Serum to fight oxidative damage and repair the skin barrier.
Mix in Catalyst AC-11 Serum if damage is already present.
Sun Defense Elixir can offer internal protection against UV.
Regenerate to help support the liver.
Vitamin A infusion (pregnancy safe) in the treatment room
And always consistency!
