Does hyperpigmentation go away?

When does hyperpigmentation go away?

Once the trigger stops, a spot a few shades darker than your usual skin color typically fades within 6 to 12 months. Pigment deeper in the skin can take years to fade; it often looks slate blue, gray or much darker brown. Treatment can speed fading, but improvement still takes time.1

Marks left where acne, eczema or an injury healed are called postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. These marks are temporary, but they tend to be more intense and last longer in darker skin tones. Sunlight can darken them again. A healed breakout and a faded mark are two different milestones.4

Melasma follows a different pattern. These brown or blue gray patches often affect the cheeks, forehead and upper lip, and hormones and sunlight are major triggers. Pregnancy related melasma usually fades after pregnancy, but other cases last years or a lifetime. Melasma can also darken in summer and lighten in winter, so a lighter patch does not necessarily mean it has gone permanently.2

How can you help dark spots fade?

1. 1Address the trigger first. Treat ongoing acne or eczema, avoid picking pimples, and replace irritating skincare with gentler products. Stop using a cosmetic product that burns or stings.
2. 2Apply sunscreen every day to exposed skin. Choose broad spectrum protection, which covers UVA and UVB rays, with SPF 30 or higher. For dark spots, choose a water resistant tinted sunscreen containing iron oxide to protect against visible light too.
3. 3Reapply sunscreen every two hours outdoors and after swimming or sweating. Wear a hat and protective clothing, and avoid strong midday sun.
4. 4Consider a fading treatment after addressing the cause and sun protection. Options include azelaic acid, vitamin C, glycolic acid and retinoids. Follow the individual product's directions rather than using one schedule for every ingredient.

Creams and ointments can clear some spots and lessen others, but treatment can take months or a year. A dermatologist can help choose an appropriate treatment if home care is not helping.5

Chemical peels, lasers and intense pulsed light can help pigment in the outer skin layer, but they can also worsen pigmentation by injuring skin. These procedures do not treat pigment deeper in the dermis. Cosmetic camouflage can cover dark marks, so makeup does not have to wait for skincare to finish its paperwork.4

When should you get dark patches checked?

Hyperpigmentation itself is not usually painful or itchy. See a clinician if a patch is red, hot, painful, itchy or leaking blood or pus. Get new or unexplained patches checked, especially dark, thick, velvety skin on the neck, armpits or groin. That pattern can be acanthosis nigricans, which needs assessment for an underlying cause; patches should fade once that cause is treated.56

If pigmentation started after a medication, ask the prescriber about it rather than stopping the medicine yourself. If you are pregnant, have treatment choices checked by your clinician before starting a fading product.15