Allure posted "I Finally Found the First Hyperpigmentation Treatment That Actually Works on My Skin" featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.
Dr. Patel sat down with Allure to give her advice on skin hyperpigmentation and the effects of Glycolic acid.
You know what's more annoying than pesky pimples? The acne scars they leave in their wake. For as long as I can remember, I've suffered from insistent dark marks on my face because of my oily, acne-prone skin. Known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, they are the pigmented spots left behind following significant inflammation or irritation of the skin. In my case, that stress is caused by my bad habit of picking at every zit that crops up on my face.
Each month, like clockwork, right at the peak of my menstrual cycle, my hormones go haywire and I'm left with a number of whiteheads and blackheads. Even with the decent amount of willpower I'd love to think I have, I always inevitably pick at them the longer they stick around, and consequently, I’m left with a fresh new batch of dark marks that are hard to get rid of because of my brown skin. "Hyperpigmentation lasts longer in darker skin types because the more melanin that is produced, the deeper it sinks into the skin and the harder it is to get rid of," says Lily Talakoub, a dermatologist of McLean Dermatology and Skincare Center in Virginia.
Glycolic acid
One of the first kinds of AHAs I learned about when I set out to get rid of my dark marks was glycolic acid. In a number of the YouTube videos I watched, people raved about how it got rid of dead skin cells like no other, which in turn, expedited the process of lightening dark marks. "Glycolic acid is a fruit acid that is used to exfoliate the skin," says Purvisha Patel, a dermatologist in Memphis. "Over time, if the skin is sloughed off in a regular manner, the darker pigmented skin will [shed] revealing an even complexion beneath."