Hyperpigmentation: A Guide for Black & Brown Skin

Uneven skin tone and dark marks can be particularly persistent in deeper skin tones. So today, we’re exploring why pigmentation happens, the role inflammation has to play and what you can do to care for Black and brown skin without making it worse.

There are plenty of reasons why your skin can become uneven in tone. It can be tempting to reach for stronger products in hopes of getting faster results, but unfortunately this can often do more harm than good. For deeper skin tones, it’s all about understanding what is causing the pigmentation, protecting the skin barrier and taking a thoughtful approach to how you’re treating it.

We’ve asked skin and wellbeing experts to explain what you need to know about hyperpigmentation and how to treat it safely.

What is Hyperpigmentation?

Hyperpigmentation is the term used when areas of the skin become darker than the surrounding skin. This is because of increased melanin production, which is the natural pigment that gives your skin, hair and eyes their colour.

As Dr Ben Taylor-Davies, aesthetic doctor and Founder and Director of The Stockbridge Clinic, explains:

“Hyperpigmentation – uneven skin tone and darker spots – is more common in darker skin types, because they naturally contain more melanin, the substance responsible for skin pigment. Darker skin is also more reactive to triggers like heat or injury, which is particularly relevant when patients are considering laser or other aesthetic treatments. It’s essential they see a clinician experienced in treating darker skin tones specifically, so that risks like post-treatment hyperpigmentation can be avoided.”

Some of the common forms of hyperpigmentation include:

• Sunspots: these small dark areas appear after years of being in the sun, also known as age spots or solar lentigines.
• Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH): these are dark marks left from a skin injury, burn, or acne breakout.
• Melasma: larger, often symmetrical patches of pigmentation, commonly appearing across the cheeks, forehead and upper lip. Hormonal changes, pregnancy, UV exposure and visible light can trigger or worsen it.

Dr Memee Ahmad, Co-Founder & Medical Director of SkinCouture, explains:

“Most of what I see falls into a few groups. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the one I see the most by far. Almost any inflammation, acne, eczema, an insect bite, even a small scrape, can leave a mark long after the skin itself has healed.

Melasma is another big one. It’s a hormonally driven condition made worse by UV and visible light, usually showing up symmetrically across the cheeks, forehead and upper lip, and it’s much more common in darker skin. Pregnancy and the combined pill often trigger or worsen it.

Beyond that, years of ongoing sun exposure cause a slower, more general dulling and unevenness of tone. Friction and chronic low grade irritation can also pigment areas like the neck folds, jawline or around the eyes. Certain medications can cause pigment changes too, though that’s less common.

The thread running through all of it is that melanocytes in deeper skin are simply more reactive, so a wide range of everyday triggers can end up leaving a visible mark.”

What causes hyperpigmentation on darker skin?

Dark skin can be particularly sensitive to hyperpigmentation, here are some of the common causes:

Registered Nutritionist Kristy Thomas of Prowise Healthcare explains that inflammation is particularly important when we’re talking about pigmentation in deeper skin tones:

“Hyperpigmentation is more likely to be permanent and more apparent in darker skin tones due to the ability of inflammation to trigger hypermelanization. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is caused by a variety of skin injuries, including acne, insect bites, cuts, burns, shaving irritation, and others.

One of the key factors is preventing any additional irritation. Excessive exfoliation, picking or squeezing acne, using more than a single strong active ingredient at a time, and using irritating self-treatment products can cause further inflammation and possibly exacerbate pigmentation. It’s usually best to stick to a regular and gentle skin care routine.”

Inflammation can look different on darker skin

Dr Yvonne Abimbola, GP and Specialist Doctor in Dermatology explains:

“Skin of colour responds to inflammation the same way as everyone else, but the presentation differs. Due to the deeper hues of pigmented skin, the redness resulting from inflammation is often seen as grey or dark brown because the pigment melanin plays a role in the inflammatory cascade and migrates to the upper layers of the skin. This is particularly important in post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which happens as a result of the immune system trying to help the process of resolving inflammation.

Because the inflammation is less evident due to the difference in appearance, people with severely inflamed skin may be underdiagnosed. Therefore, it becomes even more important to pay attention to other signs a person reports, such as heat in the skin, and sensory and textural changes.”

Pigmentation can be persistent on deeper skin tones

If you’ve ever wondered why a dark mark can linger long after the original spot has gone, here’s a reason why.

Dr Memee Ahmad – Founder, SkinCouture explains:

“Melanocytes in deeper skin tones are more reactive, so they overproduce melanin more readily after almost any injury. Some of that pigment doesn’t stay in the epidermis. It drops into the dermis, where it gets taken up by immune cells called melanophages, in a process called pigment incontinence. Once pigment is sitting in the dermis it isn’t shed with normal skin turnover. It has to be cleared slowly by the immune system, which is why this type of PIH can take months, sometimes longer, to fade, compared with weeks for pigment that stayed in the epidermis.“

To put it simply, some pigmentation sits deeper within the skin, taking longer to fade.

When Treating Pigmentation Can Make It Worse

When you notice dark marks appearing, it’s understandable that you want to try and do something to get rid of them, and quick. But reaching for strong acids, or adding extra products into your routine doesn’t necessarily mean better results.

Megan Mackay, founder of Red Aesthetics, says:

“One of the most important considerations when treating deeper skin tones is that more aggressive treatment does not necessarily mean better results. In fact, excessive inflammation can make pigmentation more noticeable.”

You could end up going round in circles, repeatedly irritating the skin in an attempt to approve its appearance, leading to more inflammation… and the cycle repeats.

Dr Memee Ahmad, Co-Founder & Medical Director of SkinCouture sees this regularly:

“The biggest mistake I see is people trying to power through pigmentation with aggressive actives. Strong retinoids, harsh acid peels, or simply over exfoliating, on the theory that more irritation means faster fading. In deeper skin tones this usually backfires, because the irritation itself becomes a fresh trigger, so you end up creating new PIH on top of the old. The second most common mistake is inconsistent sun protection. UV and visible light keep restimulating pigment production, so even a good treatment plan gets undone without daily, consistent protection.”

So make sure to be careful with:

• Excessive exfoliation
• Scrubs
• Picking and squeezing spots
• Layering several strong actives
• Irritating DIY treatments
• Introducing lots of new products at once
• Continuing to use a product that is making your skin persistently irritated

As Megan Mackay, founder of Red Aesthetics puts it:

“The key is avoiding the temptation to combine too many strong actives at once. If the skin becomes persistently irritated, you can potentially create the very inflammation you’re trying to treat.”

Prevention is part of the treatment

Pigmentation is about more than just correcting the marks as they appear. If you’re prone to pigmentation, you’ll find that understanding what you can do to prevent marks from appearing can be just as important as treatment.

Megan Mackay, founder of Red Aesthetics says:

“For clients who are prone to pigmentation, I believe prevention should form just as much of the treatment plan as correction. Protecting the skin barrier, introducing active ingredients gradually and using consistent broad-spectrum SPF are particularly important.”

Here are some ways to help build in preventative measures into your skincare routine:

Protect your skin barrier

A healthy skin barrier is a strong skin barrier, and this can help your skin tolerate your routine and avoid unnecessary irritation.

Amy Newsham, Laura Duffey & Amanda Gregory – Nurse Founders, CHROMA Skin Tech explains:

“The skin barrier is the first line of defence against irritants, allergens and moisture loss. When it becomes compromised, the skin is more likely to feel dry, tight, itchy or reactive and that irritation can trigger inflammation.

For pigmentation-prone skin, inflammation is particularly important because it can stimulate melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing pigment. This may lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, where darker marks remain after the original irritation or breakout has settled.”

Focus on gentle cleansing, moisturising regularly and put down the products that make your skin feel tight or irritated. Start with a calm base, so if you want to try some actives, you’ll be in the best position to handle it.

Don’t pick

This is easier said than done but we want to give you a reminder – avoid picking those acne marks, insect bites and more. This only causes additional inflammation and injury, which could lead to higher chances of being left with a dark mark. Try using hydrocolloid patches to protect the skin and this will also stop you touching it.

Introduce active ingredients gradually

Like you slowly acclimatise to cold water when getting in a pool by dipping your feet in first, don’t throw everything at your skin at once. When you’re introducing things like a new retinoid or pigmentation focused product into your routine, start slowly to give your skin time to adjust and so you can monitor how it reacts.

Wear SPF consistently

Broad-spectrum SPF is a key part of caring for pigmentation-prone skin. sun exposure can make existing pigmentation worse, as well as leading to further irritation and environmental damage.

But there’s another reason to think about the type of SPF you’re using if pigmentation is a concern.

Dr Memee Ahmad, Co-Founder & Medical Director of SkinCouture recommends:

“Daily broad spectrum SPF 50 is non negotiable, and I’d specifically recommend a tinted mineral formula with iron oxide in it. This is a genuinely evidence backed point, not just a nice to have. Visible light, in the 400 to 700 nanometre range, makes up around 45% of solar radiation and is now well established as a driver of pigmentation in skin of colour. Standard, non tinted mineral sunscreens don’t block it, but iron oxides do, and trials have shown tinted iron oxide sunscreens outperform untinted SPF at preventing melasma relapse.”

Skincare Ingredients that help with hyperpigmentation

Looking for some key actives to start incorporating into your routine to support your pigmentation journey? Here’s what to look for and why.

Megan Mackay, founder of Red Aesthetics recommends:

“Ingredients such as azelaic acid, niacinamide and vitamin C can be useful within an appropriate skincare routine, while retinoids may also help with pigmentation and skin renewal when introduced carefully.”

Dr Memee also recommends several ingredients with evidence behind them:

“For treatment itself, gentler brighteners tend to work better than harsh actives. Azelaic acid at 10 to 20%, topical tranexamic acid, niacinamide at 4 to 5%, and alpha arbutin all have decent trial data behind them, with a much lower irritation risk than aggressive acids or unsupervised high strength hydroquinone bought online, which carries a real risk of paradoxical darkening with prolonged unsupervised use.”

A little reminder… don’t try and throw them all in at once! Try them and see which one works best for you.

Professional Treatment Options for Hyperpigmentation

If you’ve been trying skincare and have been considering a professional treatment for pigmentation, it’s important to look at who is treating your skin and why that particular treatment has been recommended, as not all treatments are recommended for all skin tones. Treatments like chemical peels, microneedling and laser or other aesthetic treatments can lead to irritation in the skin if not treated carefully so this is something to bear in mind.

Megan Mackay, founder of Red Aesthetics explains:

“Treatments such as chemical peels and microneedling shouldn’t simply be approached with a ‘stronger is better’ mentality. Skin tone, pigmentation history, current barrier health and the individual’s response to inflammation should all be considered before choosing treatment intensity.”

Dr Ben Taylor-Davies, aesthetic doctor and Founder and Director of The Stockbridge Clinic also stresses the importance of seeing someone who understands deeper skin tones:

“Darker skin is also more reactive to triggers like heat or injury, which is particularly relevant when patients are considering laser or other aesthetic treatments. It’s essential they see a clinician experienced in treating darker skin tones specifically, so that risks like post-treatment hyperpigmentation can be avoided.”

What about at-home LED?

If you’re thinking about LED as part of your wider skincare routine, the same principle applies: choose a reputable, properly tested device and understand how it fits into your skin-health routine.

CHROMA Skin Tech explains:

“People with deeper skin tones should choose a reputable, properly tested device with clearly stated wavelengths, usage instructions and safety information. Red and near-infrared light are commonly used for photobiomodulation and do not work by exfoliating or deliberately injuring the skin.”

They also stress that LED shouldn’t be viewed as a treatment for pigmentation in isolation:

“LED is best viewed as a supportive part of a wider routine rather than a standalone cure. Consistent use may help support skin recovery and reduce the appearance of inflammation, but it should sit alongside gentle cleansing, barrier-supporting moisturisation and daily broad-spectrum sun protection.”

A Pigmentation Friendly Skincare Routine Guide

How long does hyperpigmentation take to fade?

There’s no easy way to put this, you have to be patient when it comes to hyperpigmentation.

A dark mark that might have sprung up overnight won’t disappear in the same time frame. Depending on the cause and how deep the pigmentation is, it will take time to fade. Consistency really is key when it comes to this, so don’t feel disheartened if you don’t get instant results from your routine.

When you should you see a professional?

Not every dark patch or change in pigmentation should be just treated as cosmetic. If there’s new, unexplained or changes in pigmentation you’re unsure of, speak to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional rather than attempting to treat it yourself.

Hyperpigmentation can certainly be frustrating, particularly when a mark seems to linger far longer than the original spot or injury. But the key really is to understanding why the pigmentation appeared in the first place to help you with the tools to prevent further inflammation and give your skin the support it deserves.

Megan Mackay, founder of Red Aesthetics explains:

“Ultimately, treating pigmentation successfully is often about doing enough to encourage improvement without creating unnecessary inflammation that sets the skin back.”

Pigmentation may not disappear overnight, but with the right approach, you can help prevent new marks, support your skin and gradually improve the ones that are already there.