I was 28 years old and staying for a few months in the city of Puebla, Mexico with my aunt and cousins. I needed time away from the American lifestyle of working 45+ hours a week to make money to afford the nice apartment, the expensive ride and never able to really afford to do much of anything after that. So there I was taking couple of months away in one of the most church populated cities in Mexico and with a climate of about 75 degrees year round.
Life was grand! I would lay out on the rooftop to attempt to even out my tan.. I would walk my aunt's dogs and basically keep myself outdoors a lot due to the beautiful weather the city of Puebla provides. Prior to taking this time off I was living in San Francisco, CA and a good friend of mine there would constantly ask if I wore sunscreen as part of my skin care routine. Why would anyone wear sunscreen in San Francisco? I thought! As if I had not been to tropical, sunny and warm places before where I didn't use sunscreen. Why would I consider sunscreen in the foggy and cold city of the Bay area. Stacy had beautiful porcelain skin and was really into skin care products but most of her talks about the subject often came IN one ear and OUT the other.
I thought I was doing a good job by using the 3 step Clinique products since that's what I had been doing since I was 19 years old. I didn't wear much make up because of my olive skin color. I didn't really need much to cover up; so there wasn't much to take off or to know about skin care. My make up routine consisted of mascara, lip gloss and maybe to dress up some eyeliner.
I was satisfied with my skin until one drastic change after a trip to Acapulco,Mexico.
As a sun bunny I laid out in that HOT sun with no sunscreen for a straight week in Acapulco, Mexico with my aunt and cousin. We had a blast...only to return back from vacation to see a splash of dark spots in my face right above my lip area. I thought maybe the lime from all those Corona's I was drinking by the beach must have marked/bleached my skin. After a few weeks my tan was fading but dark spots were appearing right on my high cheek bone below my eyes. Oh NO! What is happening to me I thought. I rushed to a dermatologist.
Now the women in my family all have hyperpigmentation but the aunts and my mother all told me it happened while they were pregnant. I didn't think it was related to sun damage.
As the dermatologist examined my face the first question she asked was: Do you wear sunscreen?
Memories of Stacy grilling me on a skin care routine and sunscreen all came flashing back to me.
My answer was NO DOCTOR. I don't wear sunscreen. I never have because I didn't think I needed to. Afterall I thought being Mexican my skin was brown so the sun couldn't do any damage. Oh boy was I wrong!
Now at 37 years old all I have been attempting to do since then is reverse the sun damage and cover up the hyperpigmenation. Stay tuned as I will take you through the different treatments I've received and products I've purchased. Now when I have kids or to my nephews and nieces... I will be over applying sunscreen! :-)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
What is Hyperpigmenation?
First things first... a lot of people do not know what Hyperpigmenation is:
Hyperpigmentation may be caused by sun damage, inflammation, or other skin injuries, including those related to acne vulgaris.[1] People with darker Asian, Mediterranean or African skin tones are also more prone to hyperpigmentation, especially if they have excess sun exposure.
Many forms of hyperpigmentation are caused by an excess production of melanin. Hyperpigmentation can be diffuse or focal, affecting such areas as the face and the back of the hands. Melanin is produced by melanocytes at the lower layer of the epidermis. Melanin is a class of pigment responsible for producing color in the body in places such as the eyes, skin, and hair. As the body ages, melanocyte distribution becomes less diffuse and its regulation less controlled by the body. UV light stimulates melanocyte activity, and where concentrations of the cells are denser than surrounding areas, hyperpigmentation is effected.
Hyperpigmentation may be caused by sun damage, inflammation, or other skin injuries, including those related to acne vulgaris.[1] People with darker Asian, Mediterranean or African skin tones are also more prone to hyperpigmentation, especially if they have excess sun exposure.
Many forms of hyperpigmentation are caused by an excess production of melanin. Hyperpigmentation can be diffuse or focal, affecting such areas as the face and the back of the hands. Melanin is produced by melanocytes at the lower layer of the epidermis. Melanin is a class of pigment responsible for producing color in the body in places such as the eyes, skin, and hair. As the body ages, melanocyte distribution becomes less diffuse and its regulation less controlled by the body. UV light stimulates melanocyte activity, and where concentrations of the cells are denser than surrounding areas, hyperpigmentation is effected.
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