Caring For Darker Skin – The Best Treatments and Skin Care

Many cosmetic treatments available today work well for light skin tones but aren’t always the case for black, brown, or olive tones. Sometimes, cosmetic treatment may cause hyperpigmentation in darker skin tones, which isn’t a desirable outcome.  So what are the best cosmetic skin care treatments and solutions for darker skin complexions? The issue with lasers and some other technologies when treating different skin colours, and the reason behind adverse outcomes on darker complexions, is the amount of energy absorbed by the skin. Darker skin types absorb more energy and are thus prone to developing hyperpigmentation, irregular pigmentation, and hypopigmentation. Lighter skin types, on the other hand, don’t absorb energy and respond directly to the treatment.

Chemical peels

This cosmetic procedure is ideal for all skin types, even the darker tones, especially skin peels that exfoliate and promote cell turnover, but that doesn’t cause inflammation. For example, some chemical peels burn, instead of exfoliating the top layer of the skin. Chemical peels have minimal downtime but may require repeat treatments to maintain results. Some chemical peels can be quite harsh, but other gentle alternatives to chemical peels are also available, using natural ingredients for more sensitive skin. 

Laser treatments

Laser treatments are ideal for darker skin tones when treating fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation problems, acne or large pores, and to improve skin texture. Laser treatments use  a low-level, low-density laser to exfoliate the skin’s top layer superficially. It’s great for treating melasma and reducing pores and fine wrinkles. Most laser treatments have about a one to five-day downtime and require maintenance treatments to maintain results.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a cosmetic procedure. It involves pricking the skin with tiny sterilised needles. The small wounds cause your body to make more collagen and elastin, which heal your skin and help you look younger. You might also hear it called collagen induction therapy.

Microdermabrasion

This procedure uses micro-particles that blast away the outer layer of skin to reveal a younger, youthful appearance with skin that is more taut, smooth, and free of blemishes and sunspots. It requires little to no downtime and results last up to a month. It also helps improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, as well as shallow acne scars, although it isn’t aggressive enough to produce noticeable anti-aging benefits.

Salt facial

A salt facial uses sea salt to apply pressure to the skin to decrease acne, promote exfoliation, and smooth pores and fine lines. It’s a non-energy/non-heat based resurfacing treatment safe for darker skin types. This three-step treatment exfoliates the outer layers of skin, deposits customised serums into the skin, and uses LED therapy to decrease inflammation. It’s an all-in-one treatment that can be done every month to maintain youthful, rejuvenated skin.

Your complexion and skin type is a very important thing to consider when making choices about what cosmetic treatments to receive. Always be sure to talk with a licensed professional about the best skin solutions to suit your skin type and prevent any further damage from occurring.