7 Reasons Why Your Dark Spots Won't Fade
Are you trying to fade your dark spots and having trouble? Has it been weeks (or even months) with no noticeable change?
Your dark spots, aka hyperpigmentation, may not be fading for multiple reasons. It might be one of the reasons below.
The good thing is you can make some changes to help fade your dark spots faster. Some changes can be done at home while others are usually done by a professional.
Before we get started, if you’re not sure where your hyperpigmentation came from or want to know exactly what’s going on, then it’s good to have it looked at by a skincare professional (like a dermatologist or a dermatology physician assistant) sooner rather than later, if you can. They’ll check to make sure the hyperpigmentation is not something harmful, and you’ll know more about it and how to improve it.
Here are seven reasons why your dark spots may not be fading:
1. You're not wearing sunscreen... every day
Sunscreen is something that you should definitely apply when you're trying to improve or prevent dark spots and uneven skin tone.
If you don't have sunscreen in your skincare routine yet, all that time, energy, effort, and money spent on products and treatments may not as effective because the sun’s powerful rays are blocking all of your hard work.
It's like trying to fill up a bucket with water when it has a big hole in it. It’s better to fix the hole first in order to fill the bucket up. Otherwise, you may never fill it to the top. Don’t let sunscreen prevent you from reaching your skin goals!
2. You're not consistent
I don’t mean to put you (and me lol) on blast, but how do you expect your products to work if you don't apply them regularly? How is the product going to help you if it stays in that bottle or jar and rarely touches your skin?
If you're using a product that’s supposed to be used every day or a couple of times a week, and instead you're applying it once every 1-2 weeks, it's not going to work that well.
Now there are exceptions to this. There are some products that contain active ingredients that may be too harsh or irritating if used too often. One example is an exfoliating mask that may only need to be applied once or twice a month. We’re not talking about those types of products here. I’m talking about the ones that can be applied every day or a few times a week. Products that work best when used consistently.
Basically, if you have a product that you should be applying consistently to see results, but you're not, it’s going to slow down your progress. Get the most out of your skincare! Especially if you got them with your hard-earned coins.
3. The products take more time to work
If it's been one or two weeks since you've started doing your skincare routine consistently, you can't expect results within that time. I wish you could see quick results all the time though!
Even though there are some products out there that can provide quick results, it may take four, six, or even eight weeks of using a product (consistently!) to start seeing a change. Some people notice a change sooner, while other people may notice a change a little bit later.
Give the skincare product some time to do its thing before you consider switching to something else or throwing it out.
4. Your skincare products are irritating your skin
Unfortunately, your skin can have a bad reaction to any product, even if it’s all-natural or made for sensitive skin because they all contain chemicals. This reason is super frustrating because you're putting in the effort to improve your hyperpigmentation but there's an ingredient in one or more of your products that is irritating your skin and keeping the dark spots there. This irritation can even lead to more hyperpigmentation.
The type of hyperpigmentation that is caused by your skin being irritated is typically called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. One way to help prevent this from happening is to slowly start applying your new products one at a time. For example, you can start one new serum for a week or two, then introduce a new toner or cleanser after the serum has been used a good amount. This gives you time to see how your skin reacts to each product. Doing this may help you figure out if each product works well with your skin and which one could be causing any irritation.
If you have access to a dermatology provider or allergy specialist, there is an option to have skin allergy testing done. This could be a good option if you have sensitive skin or if you can’t figure out if your products are irritating. If you don’t have access to these medical professionals, there is a DIY option. There may be tutorials online but it’s basically done by testing a new skincare product by applying it on your forearm or side of the neck (instead of the face) to see if it causes any unwanted irritation or reaction.
5. You're treating the wrong type of skin condition
If you’ve read some of my other posts then you know I bring this up quite often. Knowing exactly what is causing your hyperpigmentation is such an important step because it will allow you to get to the root cause of what’s causing the darkened skin. From there, you can begin treating the hyperpigmentation that is on your skin right now and hopefully prevent future dark marks from popping up since you now know what's causing them. You’ll be able to take this knowledge and customize your skincare routine to help speed up the fading process, instead of doing things that may not improve the type of hyperpigmentation you have.
6. Your skin needs stronger products
Has your hyperpigmentation stayed the same or improved a little bit and then stopped? If it has, it might mean your skin needs stronger products than what’s available on the shelves at your local drugstore or beauty store, or your routine may need a boost by pairing one ingredient you’re already using with another.
Now this doesn't mean you should go out and get the strongest most intense products from the jump because that could lead to irritation or other skin reactions that can definitely cause more harm than good. But if you've tried various project products that contain key ingredients known to treat hyperpigmentation (and you’re pretty sure reasons 1-5 aren’t it) then you might benefit from stronger treatments.
This is where the possibility of needing to work with a skincare professional comes in. They may be able to adjust your routine so that it works better for you and your skin. This might mean adding a prescription-strength retinoid if over-the-counter retinol products aren’t doing enough. It might also mean adding a glycolic acid peel every other month, with a licensed skincare professional, if you’ve noticed your skin started looking better after you applied products with glycolic acid. For some, adding in both of these changes might help. There are a bunch of other options, beyond what’s available at your local stores, that may help you along your skincare journey.
7. The type of hyperpigmentation you have may be permanent
I hate typing this, but hyperpigmentation can be extremely difficult to improve or may even be permanent in some situations. Being aware of this may help set your expectations and also prevent you from spending tons of money, time, and effort trying to treat something that may not improve. Some conditions that are very hard to improve and may even be permanent include dermal hyperpigmentation, which can look like darkened skin that is blue-greyish and is in the deeper layers of the skin, and exogenous ochronosis, which can be caused by using skin care products that contain hydroquinone for longer than professionally recommended.
To find out if your specific type of hyperpigmentation might be permanent or not you would need to see a board-certified dermatologist or dermatology physician assistant who should be able to tell you what’s going on with your skin and then talk about a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs. This can be super helpful if you’ve already done the above recommendations and have not seen any signs of improvement for a while, or if you want a professional opinion before you start trying anything.
Conclusion
I hoped this has helped you learn some reasons why your dark spots may not be fading. I've definitely been guilty of some of these. The good thing is you now know what you can fix so that you can work on getting your best skin! If you are able to, seeing a board-certified dermatologist, physician assistant, or licensed aesthetician may help speed up your skin’s progress so that your dark marks fade a bit faster.
Which one of these reasons are you guilty of? Let me know in the comments! For me, I’m guilty of not being consistent and forgetting sunscreen on some days lol. I’m working on it though!
If you found this to be valuable, share it with someone
Take care,
Mimi
