Lately there’s been a rash of new skin care products on the market claiming to reduce hyperpigmentation. Judging by their ads, hyperpigmentation seems mean less than flawless skin. So what is hyperpigmentation really? Do we all have it? Is it dangerous? And can we really expect to look airbrushed after 4-6 weeks of applying $75 cream?

Not all freckles are bad

Some pigmentation on the skin is perfectly natural and like it or not, unavoidable. Pigmentation actually has a beneficial function, protecting the deeper layers from skin damage (tanning still does you more harm than good, however). The term hyperpigmentation refers to an over-production of pigment resulting in blotches and dark spots more prominent than your average freckle. If a spot has you concerned about skin cancer, read up on the warning signs here. Many changes in skin tone are harmless and at worst cause some self-consciousness (fed by advertisements for miracle creams).

Causes of hyperpigmentation

Prevention is better than a cure, and some causes of hyperpigmentation can be avoided. Among them:

• Acne: Sometimes skin pigmentation occurs as the result of  minor injury to the skin, including scarring caused by acne. Once an inflammation has subsided and the wound has healed, a mark might remain as long as several months. Treating acne to reduce its severity and avoiding irritation to the skin during an outbreak can lessen the aftereffects.
• Aging:“Age spots” or “liver spots,” are a well-known form of hyperpigmentation. Otherwise known as “solar lentigines,” they typically crop up on the hands or faces after long periods of repeated sun exposure.
• Fluctuating hormone levels: Another type of hyperpigmentation is called, “melasma” or “chloasma.” These spots look very much like age or liver spots but are larger and usually appear at the end of hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menopause. Pregnancy can cause the body to produce too much melanin. This can result in a darkening around the eyes and nose, sometimes also appearing on the abdomen and on other areas. Birth control pills can also result in the same type of hyperpigmentation because they cause the body to undergo hormonal changes that are similar to those experienced during pregnancy. This latter type usually goes away when the person stops taking the pills, however.
• Prescription drugs such as concentrated salicylic acid or benzyl peroxide can cause temporary skin discoloration.

Store-bought Cures

Some of the most effective solutions for hyperpigmentation include laser treatments. These are very expensive, however, and can sometimes make the condition worse rather than better. Concentrated glycolic acid, azelaic acid and chemical peels are also used to treat hyperpigmentation, but these are all harsh treatments and each can be dangerous and cause more harm than good.

Most of the products commonly available in drugstores and at beauty counters to treat discoloration include a mild acid or bleaching ingredient. Unfortunately, many carry a high price tag and produce somewhat disappointing results (that’s been my experience anyway). Requiring consistent application, they can take up to 6 months to show any results at all, and can cause irritation, especially for sensitive types.

The Alternative

Safe for all skin types, gentle and moisturizing, Aloe Vera is an alternative treatment for hyperpigmentation that actually does your skin some good. Aloe Vera has been used for thousands of years to treat both skin conditions and other health issues. The pure gel from inside the stem can be applied directly on the skin. Just as Aloe speeds the healing of sunburned skin, it encouraging the skin to regenerate new cells when applied to discolored spots and scars. As new skin cells form, the old ones are sloughed off, gradually fading dark surface pigment.

Like your $75 creams, it takes regular application and patience to see results, and some spots you might just have to live with. Freckles are beautiful – learn to love them. Aloe doesn’t work any faster than the most effective cream. But it does work well for some spots, and has the added benefit of cleansing and moisturizing your skin. Whether you use store-bought Aloe gel or gel straight from the plant, mix it with a little sunscreen and apply to your trouble spots daily to protect and heal them.

Photo: Frederic Poirot

Aloe Vera does wonders for just about any type of skin irritation, thanks to an anti-inflammatory component called B-sitosterol, infection-fighting properties, and skin-friendly vitamin E. Aloe’s ability to multitask and offer quick relief makes it a great home remedy for rashes whether the cause is bacterial, fungal, viral, or a big fat mystery.

Beyond treating irritation, Aloe Vera can keep skin healthy by maintaining moisture levels, elasticity, proper circulation, and cellular turnover. It’s gentle enough to be used on delicate tissue (it’s a common ingredient in eye and ear drops), and is suitable for gentle baby skin to prevent diaper rash and other common irritations.

Diaper Rash is characterized by red, tender, swollen skin, usually warm to the touch. Very common in infants, it’s usually caused by prolonged contact with the moist, enclosed environment of a soiled diaper. Diaper rash is often accompanied by a yeast or bacterial infection and exacerbated by skin allergies. It’s sometimes confused with heat rash (see our post, Aloe can help with that too), which the diaper wearing set are also prone to.

Tips to Treat Diaper Rash

• Frequent changing, thorough drying, and giving your baby lots of diaper-free time helps by increasing air flow to the area.
• Experiment with eliminating possible irritants like fragrance in scented diapers, lotions, powders, or even scented dryer sheets if you’re going the cloth route.
• Disposable diapers are often to blame for frequent diaper rash. Cloth is more breathable than plastic, and a switch might clear up the problem.
• Whatever the cause, Aloe Vera can offer relief from symptoms and, in most cases, prevent their recurrence with regular use.

Aloe for Diaper Rash: Adding Aloe to Your Diapering Routine

Apply Aloe gel, the purer the better, a few times a day and allow it to dry completely before re-diapering. Aloe straight from the plant is 96% water and allows the skin to breath while fighting infection (both bacterial and fungal), as well as reducing pain and inflammation.

Making your own Aloe baby wipes is another great way to treat diaper rash. Baby wipes are easy to make using thick paper towels, and much cheaper than the store-bought variety, especially when you buy ingredients in bulk. Going the home-made route also allows you to control ingredients if allergies are an issue. Check out  Hillbilly Housewife for a reusable flannel version.

Here’s what you’ll need for the solution:

• 1/2 cup Aloe Vera gel (store bought or fresh. If using the fresh stuff, use a blender or food processor to liquify)
• 2 cups Water, boiled and cooled to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons baby oil (substitute tea tree oil if fungal infection is a problem. Olive, almond, or vitamin E oil also make good substitutions)
• 2 tablespoons gentle soap or baby shampoo (optional)

Mix ingredients together or shake up in a container with a lid and store in a spray bottle. When you’re ready to use it, just spray it on the cloth/paper sheets, moistened with warm water. Aloe is quickly absorbed by the skin and you should notice changes in swelling, redness, and discomfort within a few applications. Most rashes will take no more than a few days to heal.

Happy diapering!

Blame it on our reptilian ancestry. We seek warm rocks and bask in its life giving energy. Since we are no longer thick-skinned lizards, we sometimes ending up getting way too much of a good thing. The light of the sun gives us life, but can also slowly kill us by radiating our fragile skin, mutating cells, causing cancer.  We cover ourselves, donning artificial skins to hide our more fragile ones, keeping ourselves pale and pasty for longevity’s sake. Yet still the light beckons, hitting us on primitive level that overturns our sophisticated technological thinking. This time of year we bask in its glory despite the possible costs, and sometimes we burn.

Thankfully, we’ve invented ways to satisfy the lizard within and stay relatively safe. We have replaced out crude fake hides with magical transparent balms that keep out the harmful rays. However, even the strongest formulas cannot fully prevent the sun from getting to us if we give it enough time.

Sunburns can be nastily painful, especially for those of us who are on the pinker side of the spectrum. Once a sunburn occurs there is very little you can do about it besides covering up and letting it heal, however there are several ways you can naturally sooth the burning pain as well as help promote the healing process. One of the best things that you can use on a mild to medium sunburn is the gel of the Aloe Vera plant.

Aloe Vera has been grown and cultivated by mankind for several thousand years and utilized for its multitude of medicinal values. It has been called the “garlic of the lily family.” One of the main benefits of the Aloe Vera plant is the soothing quality of the watery inner gel of the plant’s spike-shaped leaves. This gel contains salicylic acid (the stuff found in aspirin) that relieves the pain as well as polysaccharides, which promote cell rejuvenation. It also has anti-viral properties that help keep burned flesh from getting infected. Aloe Vera gel also contains significant amounts of vitamin E, which will help moisturize your skin while you wait for the redness to go away. You might, however, want to supplement your Aloe application with a bit more of this skin friendly vitamin to help counteract the plants astringent qualities.

The sun beckons and we answer, and even with SPF 150 lotion on, we still might end up getting burned. Thankfully, our naturally primate curiosity has enabled us to find a plant that will help sooth the pain and heal our tender, non lizard skin.

Yulia Berry is an independent health researcher and author of the best selling e-book on aloe vera, “Aloe – Your Miracle Doctor.” She distributes a weeklynewsletter regarding homeremedies and has written another popular e-book “Pharmacy In Vegetables,” as well as dozens of natural health articles published on hundreds of websites worldwide. For more information, please visit her website.