English translation below (Google translate used)
Vol. 14 Explanation of skin pigmentation treatment Part 1
It's the beautiful season when Jacaranda flowers are in full bloom. This year, the sunshine has been quite strong even since the early spring. Since early September, when it's still cold like winter, the glare was so strong and I felt "I need sunglasses" when I went to work in the morning for just a few minutes walk.
Now, this month, I will explain skin pigmentation treatment. Knowing why there are various treatment methods and why what has been removed returns is the first step to making skin less prone to age spots. Since I can't explain everything in this issue, I will explain it in two parts.
First, about skin. From the top, the skin is made up of the epidermis, dermis, fat, muscle, and bone in that order. Melanin pigment, which is the source of skin pigmentation, is produced every day from melanocytes scattered in the basal layer, the lowest layer of the epidermis, which has 4-5 layers. Melanocytes produce melanin as a defense mechanism to protect the cell nucleus, which may mutate when exposed to ultraviolet light. However, this is not limited to ultraviolet light, but is also influenced by many other factors, including hormonal changes, aging, racial differences, genes, and illnesses.
The epidermis of the skin on the face is made up of four layers, and the layers above the basal layer turn over and peel off from the top layer of the stratum corneum. Melanin produced in the basal layer gradually appears on the surface of the skin as the skin turns over. The reason why the appearance does not change even though it has peeled off is because the melanocytes underneath continue to produce melanin. Therefore, there are cases where a dark spot that suddenly appeared due to a change in the body does not improve no matter how much you treat it, but one day it starts to improve. One customer had a temporary disease in her uterus, and by the time the dark spots started to improve, the disease had disappeared. Malanocytes which produce melanin are living things.
Now that we know the structure of the skin, let's explain the types of dark spots and their respective treatment methods one by one.
Let's start with dark spots that are close to the surface of the skin.
Freckles
These are dots of melanin pigment that have risen to the surface of the skin. Some people are more susceptible to them due to genetics and skin type, but they can be removed by light therapy such as IPL, which reacts to melanin, and are one of the most effective treatments for dark spots. If the dark spots are freckles, it is not difficult to remove them with treatment, no matter how many years they have been on your face. The problem is aftercare and maintenance so that the freckles do not come back as soon as possible.
Senile lentigo
These are caused by aging, and are flat wart tissues that have turned brown (although there are rare cases where they are skin-colored) due to melanin. The color can be lightened by destroying the melanin with IPL, but the wart tissue itself cannot be removed unless it is physically removed. At K2yh, we use the ErYag laser to remove the wart tissue. Physical removal is the same as a wound. Therefore, after treatment, the area becomes red (inflamed), and when ultraviolet rays are exposed to it, the skin's defense mechanism is activated, making it easier to produce melanin. In addition, this treatment for age spots removes existing age spots, but the melanocytes that produce melanin that were active under the age spots will continue to be active. (The same is true for freckles.) Results vary from person to person, and treatment will continue while monitoring the progress after treatment. Since it is a flat tissue, treatment is performed without removing too much skin, so if the wart is deep, treatment will be performed after waiting for the skin to turn over again. I call the age spots that come out from underneath even after removal "Kintaro candy". It is a tough opponent among skin pigmentation and it is hard to understand what they are thinking.
Seborrheic keratosis
This is also a type of age spot, and is a small black bumpy wart that is often seen on the face and neck. Compared to senile lentigo, this is only my experience, but this raised age spot will most likely disappear cleanly if it is removed by treatment. It is an easy-to-treat age spot for me.
Well, I'm running out of space, so I will continue in the next issue. In the next issue, we will talk about the troublesome melasma caused by hormonal changes and how to make your skin less susceptible to blemishes.
Until then, everyone, take care ❤️
Comments