When you’re in the midst of a bad breakout, it’s easy to forget that you ever had clear skin. But for every zit and swell of acne, there’s an end, a time when they will heal and disappear from your face. What’s not so temporary though is the long-lasting hyperpigmentation that acne can leave behind. <\/p>
“Following the inflammation of an acne lesion, you can be left with darkening of the skin or PIH (postinflammatory hyperpigmentation),” explains Dr. Deanne Mraz Robinson<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in Westport, Connecticut. Different from acne scarring<\/a>, hyperpigmentation<\/a> acts as a sort of “stain” on the skin but does not result in a textural change, she says. Despite how common it is, there’s a lot about post-acne hyperpigmentation that even those suffering from it don’t know, including the many ways to prevent and treat it.<\/p> While the exact cause of post-acne hyperpigmentation remains unknown, the working theory is that the inflammation causes a drop in skin’s melanin. “The bacteria and any dead skin cells and oil released into the skin by the ruptured follicle attract immune cells,” says Dr. Heidi Waldorf<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in Nanuet, New York. “Those cells release inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species—which, in turn, stimulate melanocytes, pigment-producing cells, to produce melanin [pigment].” It’s this surge of new melanin that leads to the darker appearance, or hyperpigmentation. “I explain to patients that the pigment cells see the activity of the acne and say, ‘Let’s party,’” adds Dr. Waldorf.<\/p> The more pigment you have in your skin, the more likely you are to get post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. “A light-skinned person may have long-lasting redness after a pimple but is less likely to see the brown,” Dr. Waldorf notes. “A dark-skinned person is much more likely to see the brown, and some medium-toned people, especially [if they are] Asian, are also predisposed.” After having an acne lesion or other skin wound, the hyperpigmentation will appear in its place, even if it’s only mildly darker than the surrounding skin. In some cases, these spots will fade quickly and on their own; in others, they’re a bit more stubborn.<\/p>Why does post-acne hyperpigmentation occur?<\/strong><\/h2>
When does post-acne hyperpigmentation happen?<\/strong><\/h2>