Words From The Wise: Clinique Offers Help For Hyperpigmentation

Spoiled Pretty reader, Aditi, writes:

"Unfortunately, my teenage years left me with terrible dark, acne scars! I have tried a few things and so far, nothing seems to work. Any thoughts?"

To answer Aditi’s question, I called upon Dr. Tom Mammone, Executive Director of Clinique Research and Development. He writes:

"There are many different dark spots that can appear on the skin. Melanin is responsible for the color that we see on our skin, including pigmentation spots, but different dark spots have different triggers. One of the most common causes of pigmentation spots includes acne scarring. That is the key to acne induced scarring and pigmentation. Our approach in treating this concern is to work with skin's own natural processes to minimize the appearance of dark spots and help prevent them from forming in the first place. Based on this philosophy, exfoliation plays a very important role in our pigmentation approach. In fact, we work on 3 levels when it comes to thwarting pigmentation. First, we inhibit the formation of the dark spots with antioxidants, second we utilize ingredients to break up the appearance of existing dark spots into "dust" and third, we use exfoliation to speed the departure of the cells that have been effected to encourage a more even skin tone.

"I would recommend a product such as Even Better Skin Tone Corrector which works like an eraser-breaking down the appearance of large dark clusters caused by hyperpigmentation into less visible "dust" with ingredients such as our Trametes Versicolor Extract (Advanced Brightening Yeast Blend). Then exfoliating ingredients such as Glucosamine and Salicylic Acid whisk away these clusters. In addition, the formula includes powerful antioxidants such as Curcuma Longa Turmeric Root Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract and Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) Acetate to prevent new dark spots from forming. In addition, scars and hyperpigmentation are due to inflammation and Even Better Skin Tone Corrector has strong anti-inflammatories to help reduce the inflammation. I would also stress the importance of sun protection. Clinique always recommends wearing a daily sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher."

Aditi, thanks for writing in with your question. Clinique has generously offered to send you Even Better Skin Tone Corrector and a daily sunscreen. Many thanks to Clinique and Tom Mammone for the excellent advice!

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