Hyperpigmentation: Increase Cell Turnover

It is helpful to have hyperpigmentation patients use topical agents that help increase the skin’s cellular turnover rate. A group of ingredients that are quite effective at this are retinoids. This family of vitamin A derivatives helps increase cellular proliferation and turnover, bringing healthy cells to the surface more quickly. The agent used must be chosen carefully, as some of the more popular retinoids (e.g. Retin-A^®) can be irritating to some skin types and actually create more hyperpigmentation. A safer bet is retinol, as it is a gentler vitamin A derivative that is highly effective, yet non-irritating. Using a daily care product with low level retinol is beneficial in the battle against hyperpigmentation. The addition of superficial chemical peels helps to not only remove the darkened surface cells, but it also allows for better skin function and improved cell turnover rates.