Which colour corrector should be used for brown spots?

The pigmentation spots are due to a disruption in the production of melanin and its accumulation in the skin. This brown pigment, responsible for the colouring of the epidermis, has a photoprotective role : it helps the skin defend against the attack of UV rays. However, when melanin is overproduced, brown marks of varying size and shape appear, disrupting the uniformity of the complexion. They are generally classified into 3 categories, depending on their origin:

• The sun spots or lentigos.

  UV rays from the sun are the primary cause of hyperpigmentation marks as they activate melanogenesis, that is, the synthesis of melanin. As we age, the skin can no longer fully protect itself from external aggressions and the skin barrier deteriorates. We then observe a dysfunction of the melanocytes associated with theexhaustion of their pigmentary potential at the level of the hair follicles. More fragile, the skin allows more of the sun's rays to pass through and sun spots, or age spots form. That's why it's important to apply daily sun protection, regardless of age.

• The pregnancy mask, or melasma.

  As the name suggests, the pregnancy mask appears in pregnant women, following the increase in oestrogen and progesterone levels in the body. These steroid hormones are indeed capable of activating melanogenesis. It also sometimes happens that this type of brown spots form following the intake of a contraceptive pill or a hormone replacement therapy.

• Thepost-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

  Finally, inflammatory phenomena (acne, injury, burn...) sometimes leave marks on the skin that take the form of brown spots. Indeed, during inflammation, the pro-inflammatory cytokines mobilised act by stimulating the activity of melanocytes, which leads to an increase in the production of melanin.