Skin Pigmentation – Genetics, the Sun & Aging
By the Editor | May 8, 2010
Skin pigmentation is caused by the hormone melanin. It is produced by specialized cells called melanocytes located in the deepest of the skin’s layers.
Your genes are partially responsible for the amount of melanin present in your skin’s cells. Other than that, sun exposure is the primary cause of increased melanin production.
There are some medical conditions (mostly hormonal changes) that will cause increased melanin production. Sometimes the melanin clumps or forms patches. The appearance of clumps or patches can be distressing. They are sometimes referred to as age spots.
Although getting older may play a role, everyone wants to live a long life. So, inevitably everyone will get older.
What many people hope to do is to minimize the damage that time does to their faces and their bodies. There are a number of ways to do that. Some of them will help reduce age spots and even out skin pigmentation, even if it is caused by sun damage.
Eating right and taking good dietary supplements is one of the keys. Groups like the Methuselah society stand by the importance of nutrients in the diet.
They are currently testing theories about restricting caloric intake and the effect that it has on human life. In animals, calorie restriction contributes to a longer, healthier life and a more youthful appearance.
That’s not just an interesting fact having nothing to do with the subject. Research has shown that some antioxidants have the same effect as calorie restriction. They call them calorie restriction mimetics. Resveratrol is one of the most effective calorie-restriction mimetic.
Resveratrol can also reduce the impact that UV radiation from the sun has on the skin’s health and appearance. It would not provide an overall lightening, but it could help reverse age spots.
To get an overall lightening, an extract from a plant called Nut grass root has proven to be most beneficial in clinical studies. It actually inhibits melanin production, while soothing inflammation and irritation, if they are present.
Some of the better anti-aging creams contain nut grass root and other ingredients that will lighten and even out skin pigmentation.
Topics: Skin Lightening, Skin MD Blog, Skin Pigmentation, Skin Whitening | No Comments »
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
« Removing Warts with Duct Tape! | Home | IV Glutathione for Skin Whitening »