How Waxing Helps Lighten Hyperpigmentation
If you’ve been DIY-ing your way through your spice cabinet, mixing turmeric, lemon, and baking soda to get rid of the dark skin under your armpits, stop right there! In order to successfully address hyperpigmentation, or dark spots of the skin, it’s important to understand the cause and what recourse you have to help heal your body for your specific skin type.
What causes hyperpigmentation across the body?
Our skin color is part of what makes each of us so unique and radically beautiful. It’s a spectrum of melanin, the natural pigment that can be found in our hair color, our eyes, and our skin. But what happens when melanin is overproduced? And how can you safely lighten or prevent hyperpigmentation across your body?
Shaving can increase the chances of hyperpigmentation
Let’s start at the beginning. Melanin exists to shield your skin from ultraviolet radiation, and in its attempt to protect itself, overproduction of melanin is extremely common.
Even though the act of shaving doesn’t cause hyperpigmentation, how you shave can impact your skin. The rubbing and scraping of the razor, even if you are super delicate, can lead to irritation and inflammation, all of which contribute to hyperpigmentation.
Dead skin cells accumulating can contribute to dark spots
It’s always nice to sink into a warm bath and take your time with shaving instead of the manic, two-minute shave prior to a beach trip. But shaving alone does not act as a thorough exfoliator, and an accumulation of dead skin cells can lead to quickly forming areas of darker skin.
Friction, deodorants, and antiperspirants are culprits, too!
It’s hard to think about the simple things you do each day that have a compounded effect on your body over time. Deodorants, antiperspirants, and all sorts of friction can also lead to hyperpigmentation. This type of darkening is referred to as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
When your skin is irritated or damaged, melanin production increases and darkening begins. And while this is a normal response from your body, it’s perfectly acceptable to want to have a more even skin tone.
How does waxing address and alleviate hyperpigmentation?
Waxing doesn’t sound like the most ideal experience. And most people find that after their first wax experience, they built it up to be way, bigger of a deal than it actually is. In fact, it’s commonly reported that people actually enjoy getting waxed because it’s changed their hair growth cycle, leaving them with less maintenance and less to take care of. And we’re all for whatever makes your life just a little bit easier!
Waxing is a form of exfoliation, pulling dead skin cells away with it
Believe it or not, waxing is one of the best forms of exfoliation. One of the many reasons that your skin feels so silky and smooth afterward is because those excess dead skin cells are stripped away while you’re being waxed. Waxing also stimulates circulation, giving your cells the opportunity to regenerate and revealing a fresh new layer of skin underneath.
Helps to stimulate circulation and collagen production
Your skin is always working overtime to protect itself. When we sleep, it gets to work on any cuts, bruises and other repairs that may be necessary from a long day of yard work. Waxing is so dynamic, and it even helps to alleviate concerns like poor circulation and loss of elasticity or collagen over time. Regular waxing can promote the regeneration of supple, healthy skin that’s soft to the touch.
Common misconceptions about post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
Hormone imbalances, puberty, and other changes in our bodies occur throughout our lifetime that can lead to hyperpigmentation. As your skin ages, it begins to thin out, decreasing the amount of melanin-containing cells. Simultaneously, dark spots develop and appear as a result of the remaining skin cells growing larger.
So whether you’re suffering from incessant, ingrown hairs, bruising, burns, or other types of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, waxing is a one-stop shop to control a wide range of issues.
There are common misconceptions about post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and it truly depends on you choosing a wax studio that has years of experience and great reviews to weed out the risk of a poor waxing experience. Poor waxing techniques can lead to hyperpigmentation, and it can also lead to other injuries like skin lifting and dark spots.
Let Beach House Waxing show you how it’s done!
We love what we do, and we’re dedicated to helping our clients become excited and invigorated at the idea of taking care of their skin with incredible results. Let Beach House Waxing show you how a proper wax can change your life. Get connected via our website and schedule your first consultation with us.
