Skin pigment change on your skin as well as your face can really make you self conscious. Truth is nobody wants to have dark skin discoloration on their face! Having dark marks on your face is usually most common with people who have a darker skin tone. These marks are usually cause either by pimples, acne or melasma. Throughout this article we're going to discuss about the various causes of skin pigment changes on the face as well as on other parts of the body and how you can treat and even fade dark marks on your skin. Everyone deals with some type of skin problem here and there in their lifetime.

To be honest skin problems do not discriminate regardless of age, race, social status or financial status. Skin problems can actually affect both teens, people in their 20's and even grown adults in their 30's, 40's and beyond! Normal skin is a type of skin that is even in tone and is smooth to the touch.
 Skin disorders however can make skin more dry, excessively oily, patchy and at times uneven.

 Increased exposure to the sun, pollutants, cosmetics and an inactive diet combined with a poor lifestyle also work together and can negatively affect your skin condition. Whatever the reason is, people want the most immediate remedy for their dark skin discoloration, especially on the face.

Remedies for Dark Skin Discoloration on The Face
Facial skin discoloration can wreck havoc on your self esteem as well as your appearance. Most dark skin discoloration happens after a pimple or a breakout of some sort, even after the pimple, zit or whitehead has healed, you'll find that you're left with an unattractive dark spot that tends to stay around longer than you are comfortable with. The great news is, with hyperpigmentation, you can treat it overtime, however, you will need some patience to start seeing results.

 Vitamin C is an excellent way to fade post hyperpigmentation and dark skin discoloration on the face. You can make a great paste to apply to your face each and every other day in order to fade any dark marks you have on your skin. A good paste full of anti-oxidants, lactic acid and vitamin C can work wonders for your complexion.

Skin Lightening Mask
=> Mix a paste of dried orange powder, milk, turmeric, honey as well as a few drops of lemon juice
=> Apply this paste to your face and leave it on for around 15 -20 minutes
=> Rinse off with warm water

Skin Brightening Mask
=> Prepare a fruit mask of mashed papaya, apricot and cucumbers( This works to decrease the dark discoloration and makes the skin glow and stay radiant)

The Potatoe Juice Remedy
=> Slice a potato in half and apply the potato juice directly to your skin ( potato juice is high in glycolic acid and will help to naturally bleach and fade post acne pigmentation effectively if used regularly each day)

Almond Paste 
=> Soak 7-10 almonds overnight in room temperature water.
=> Peel the almond skin and then grind all the almonds into a paste
=> Mix 1 tablespoonful of honey and mix it into the almond paste
=> Apply the mixture to your face, exfoliate lightly and leave it on for 20 minutes everyday this will fade spots if used daily ( the almonds remove dead skin cells and help to resurface your skin).


If you have severe dark skin discoloration on your face because of severe acne breakouts or you have had cystic acne and now have pock marks, your option to fade your dark marks and scarring may need to come from microdermabrasion or other forms of treatment from a qualified medical doctor ( dermatologist).

The Most Important Thing You Can Do If you suffer From Dark Skin Discoloration on Your Face

 Even if you have dark skin, you absolutely NEED TO WEAR SUNSCREEN! If you do not wear sunscreen when going outdoors ( yes, even on those super cloudy days) any dark marks you have on your skin will get worse, rendering any fading treatments useless because you will have to start all over again.  I recommend the Eltamd UV Clear SPF 46, 48-Gram 1.7 oz sunscreen simply because its very light and you can wear it under makeup. It also doesn't have that icky, oily, greasy feel and it won't leave you with that white mask like appearance that most sunscreens have. 

Watch what you Eat
Your diet really matters when it comes to the health of your skin. Make sure that you're eating foods high in vitamin C to help your body fight off infections, you can find vitamin C in both vegetables and fruits. Vitamin E and B complex vitamins are also essential to ensure glowing skin ( these vitamins are especially great if you suffer from dull skin as well).

 Drinks lots of H20!
Also remember to drink lots of water, avoid empty calorie drinks such as sugary juices and pops. Water works to help your skin to stay clear, supple and well hydrated. If water consumption is hard to fit into your schedule, you can always take a water bottle with you to work, school, your workout and anywhere else you go, you'd be surprise how much water you drink when you carry it around with you!

 If you have a  severe case of facial skin discoloration, it could be due to the makeup and cosmetics you're using. If you can, try to use only oil free and non comediogenic cleansers and lotions. If you wear makeup, wash your makeup brushes regularly with an antibacterial makeup brush cleaner, this will help you to avoid breaking out and ending with dark marks on your skin as a result of a zit or a pimple. If your condition persists or the treatments aren't working, you might need to then speak to your doctor/dermatologist for a more aggressive treatment/therapy options.

What Causes Skin Discoloration?

 Skin discolorations mainly refer to any changes in skin pigmentation that affects your natural skin tone. Skin discolorations can cause many different effects such as your skin might turn darker, yellowish, grayish, whitish, lighter, reddish, orange or bluish in color. Normal skin has cells that are known as melanocytes, these cells are responsible for producing melanin which determines the color of your skin.

Depending on what your skin type is, skin discolorations come in many kinds. Some of the most common skin include the following:

Example of post-acne hyperpigmentation

Hypopigmentation - This is also known as a type of white skin discoloration and is the result of a loss of melanin skin pigment. A person who has this particular skin condition will usually have one part of their skin lighter in comparison to their normal skin tone and color. A great example of hypopigmentation is tinea versicolor and vitiligo skin condition.

Hyperpigmentation - This particular skin condition is characterized by dark marks on skin. Its mainly caused by the presence of overly active malanocytes that in turn work to produce excessive melanin. Exposure to the sun can actually worsen hyperpigmentation by further darkening the already dark marks on the skin. 

Cyanosis -  This particular skin conditon results in a bluish color developing in the skin because of a lack of consistent oxygen supplied in the blood. It can also happen because of an abnormal hemoglobin or because of excess toxins in the blood.

Redness - This is caused by the reddening of the skin and usually happens either on the face and neck or the whole body. It can be due to broken blood vessels, sunburn, eczema, a viral infection, rash or fever. It usually indicates a sign of some form of skin irritation.

Orange Skin - This is more likely to happen in infants especially once their diet switches from a liquid diet to a solid diet. The orange skin may be caused by excessive intake of carotene-rich foods . 

Yellow Skin - Yellow skin is normally a sing of jaundice or it can also indicate a severe liver problem. If your skin color develops a yellow tint, its very important to seek out medical attention for the proper diagnosis by a medial professional.

 What causes skin pigmentation

Skin discoloration are mainly caused by many different things. As a matter of fact each and every one on the skin discolorations listed above are the result of some form of abnormality in the body's own metabolism. Now onto the most common causes for skin pigment change:

Diseases: Some diseases can lead to a change in skin pigment. For example yellow skin is usually associated with liver disease and jaundice, white skin is caused by albinism, paleness can be caused by anemia, and heart disease can turn the skin blue (cyanotic). 

Medications - Abnormal changes within the skin can also be the side effects of medication. For example, antimalaria drugs and antibiotics such as tetracycline can result in hyperpigmentation in some people. In most people the treatment for rheumatoid arthiritis (minocycline), usually causes the darkening of skin color as part of the most common side effects.

Pregnancy -In women with already dark skin, pregnancy can result in hyperpigmentation or melasma because of the hormone levels which also cause an increase in melanocyte acivity. In most cases melasma fades after the child is born.

Diet - Recent research has reason to believe that a person's skin color also depends on what they eat. The skin's own sensitivity goes up with the intake of a diet rich in lime, parsley or any other foods that have psoralens. Skin usually becomes more sensitive to the sun, which can result in further skin discoloration.

* In addition to the above mentioned cause of skin discoloration, changes in skin pigment and color can also be due to extreme climate ( very cold or very hot), aging, menopause as well as genetics.

Symptoms and Treatment

Keep in mind that any abnormal changes in your skin tone could be a symptom of a serious medical condition. As already outlined, the symptoms of your very own skin discoloration really depend on the cause. Any therapy or treatment you seek is really based on the causes and type of skin discoloration you have.

When in doubt, its always best to double check with a qualified medical professional/dermatologist in order to obtain the proper diagnosis and treatment.  The most important thing to also remember is to always wear sunscreen with a high SPF whenever you go outdoors during the daytime.You should always wear sunscreen even when its cloudy, its when UV rays are the most intense, even if you can't feel the heat of the sun on you!
 By wearing sunscreen, you'll help prevent your skin from premature aging, wrinkles, further hyperpigmentation, sunspots and most importantly, you'll help prevent your chances of getting skin cancer.

The Sunscreen I recommend is Eltamd UV Clear SPF 46, 48-Gram 1.7 oz. Its really the best there is out there in terms of being able to fully protect skin that's prone to hyperpigmentation. If your skin is very shiny, oily and acne-prone this is one of the BEST sunscreens you can get for your money without that gross, greasy, heavy feeling you get with most sunscreens out in the market nowadays.