How to Get Rid of Large Pores and How to Treat Them
Effective ways to get rid of large pores. Treat and reduce large pores on your face with exfoliation, retinoids, niacinamide, laser treatments, and microneedling.
Read MoreDear Patron
In view of the COVID lockdown we are offering Tele and Video consultation in line with the karnataka government issued circular HFW54 CGM 2020 dated 26/03/2020. To book an appointment slot kindly call us at 9620638388 Or drop an email info@drdivyasharma.com Let us all stay home and keep our loved ones and our country safe.
Often I come across many concerns and questions related to skin lightening, brightening and Skin whitening. There are different inferences of the before said terms but let me take you through the causes and ways to manage pigmentation. We will start with the basics of pigmentation like how it happens and then we will progress to the treatments for pigmentation . We often hear terms like ‘melanin’ and ‘melanocyte’ synonymous with pigmentation.
In this blog, we will go into the depth of explanation about causes of pigmentation.
Q1) What is Melanin and how it is formed?
Melanocytes are the pigment producing cells of the epidermis in skin and hair follicles. It has a specialized organelle inside it known as the melanosome. The melanin or pigment is formed inside this organelle called melanosome. Each melanocyte resides in the mother layer of skin and interacts with approximately 36 keratinocytes to transfer melanosomes to the supranuclear positions. Melanin serves to protect DNA of the cells from Ultraviolet radiation.
Q2) How do we classify skin type based on melanin content?
Dermatologists all across the world classify skin types in six types known as Fitzpatrick’s classification. There are 6 skin types depending on the response after exposure to sun or UV Radiation.
Q3) What is the most critical step in synthesis of melanin or pigment?
Classifying melanocytes isolated from individuals based on visual skin pigmentation as very light, light, fairly dark and dark, it was noted that total melanin content correlated with tyrosinase activity levels across all skin types. The pathway begins with the production of DOPA and DOPA quinone from tyrosine, catalyzed by the enzyme tyrosinase (TYR), the most important and rate-limiting enzyme in pigmentation
Q4) What is the cause for tanning of skin?
Sunlight or UV Radiation induces formation of free radicals or ROS which activate tyrosinase enzymes . That is the reason Antioxidants are so important in the treatment for pigmentation.
Q5) What are the various skin lightening agents available and how do they act?
We divide skin lightening agents depending on the mechanism of action.
A critical component of skin pigmentation is the transfer of mature melanosomes into the keratinocytes via dendrites. Agents that lighten the skin by inhibiting this action are
They remove the uppermost layer of keratinocytes containing melanin. Common examples of such agents are acids such as hydroxy acids, salicylic acid, linoleic acid and retinoic acids.
It inhibits the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the skin that may induce melanogenesis by activating tyrosinase . They also reduce oxidation of melanin. E.g vitamin E, vitamin C are commonly used antioxidants.
Read the label next time carefully before you pick up a skin lightening or fairness cream. Please consult your Dermatologist to recommend a schedule for improving the skin complexion.