| ||||||||||
 |
CELL BRIGHTENING
Hyperpigmentation is caused by a number of different factors - the most common being the body's response to post-inflammation from acne scars or scars from surgical procedures, sun damage, and hormones. Similar to plants and fruits that brown when cut and exposed to air, our skin also has an oxidizing process to protect itself from these dangerous environmental conditions. Whatever the cause, discoloration of the skin is the product of excess melanin (pigmentation) and can occur at two levels of the skin - the epidermal layer and the dermal layer.In epidermal hyperpigmentation, melanocytes, cells responsible for producing melanin, release tyrosinase - an enzyme that acts as a catalyst in melanin production. Epidermal hyperpigmentation is more common than dermal hyperpigmentation and exhibits itself in the form of freckles, age spots, and sun spots. The discoloration of the skin ranges from brownish to purple, depending on the natural skin tone, and those with darker skin tones are more prone to hyperpigmentation. Dermal hyperpigmentation occurs in the lower levels of the skin and is caused by hormonal changes or inflammation that disrupts the germinative cell layer, triggering the release of melanin into the dermal layer. A blue to gray discoloration is an indication of dermal hyperpigmentation.
Depending on the level of discoloration and the client's natural skin tone, whitening can take a long time - anywhere from 6 months to a year for hyperpigmentation in the epidermal layer, and years in the dermal layer. This is because whitening is a two-step process. First, the discolored areas must be lightened, and second, further pigmentation must be prevented by stopping tyrosinase action. The key to successful lightening of the skin is persistence. Clients should also be strongly warned against staying out in the sun for extended periods of time and should wear sunscreen daily.
To reverse and prevent hyperpigmentation, Sesha Skin Therapy utilizes whiteners known to both eradicate existing pigmentation as well as prevent future pigmentation by prohibiting tyrosinase activation and increasing cellturnover rate, such as Vitamin C, Mulberry of Japan, Hydroquinone, Alpha-Arbutin, and our proprietary OMX compound.
