Skip to content
Exfoliation for Hyperpigmentation: The Key to Smooth, Even Skin
Your skin gets put through a lot: dirt, sweat, germs, sun damage. There’s no better feeling than washing off the grime of the day, but it’s important to take it a step further, as the presence of these pollutants on the skin can result in the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Practicing exfoliation for hyperpigmentation, alongside a regular skincare and hydration routine, may be what helps bring your skin to its clearest, smoothest state.
Incorporating an exfoliant into your routine can target issues like hyperpigmentation and texture while taking your skin from cleaner to cleanest. Let’s look at how you can do just that.
What Is Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is characterized by a rise in melanin production. It tends to appear as an abnormal, uneven darkening of parts of the skin (“dark spots” or “acne scars”). The key to understanding hyperpigmentation is understanding the factors that can lead to it. Some of these include:
- Sun exposure and sun damage
- Certain skin conditions
- Hormones
- Acne, especially inflammatory acne (such as cysts)
Many cases of hyperpigmentation can be credited to sun exposure, as it can result in the greatest amount of melanin production. Another major culprit is postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, or the resulting melanin production following a case of inflammation (such as acne). So, how do you get rid of it? Luckily, we know that exfoliating helps hyperpigmentation.
Exfoliation for Hyperpigmentation: The Basics
Your skin does a lot. It acts as a barrier for your body against outside intruders such as UV rays, germs, and injury.
The skin, your biggest organ, is much like a cake; it’s made up of layers. From the top down, these layers include the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis.
The top and outermost layer, the epidermis, has its own top layer of dead skin cells, called the stratum corneum, that naturally shed off in a repetitive cycle. This frequently shed layer secretes peptides that act as defenders from the outside world.
Because the skin serves as your body’s first defense against the outside world, it ends up really taking a beating from the elements. In just going about your daily life, your skin acquires a buildup of things such as sweat, dirt, bacteria, and chemicals.
Not only does your skin take the brunt of your environment's pollutants, but it also absorbs and transports some of the things that sit on and seep into it. This is where exfoliation comes in.
Why is Exfoliating Important? Why Exfoliating Matters
Exfoliation speeds up the skin's process of shedding off those top, dead layers. Because the skin gets put through so much, the top layer can end up dull, dry, hyperpigmented, and rough.
By exfoliating, you’re manually removing the outermost layer of dead cells and the surface imperfections that come with them, leaving you with a smooth, cleaned canvas.
Does Exfoliation Help Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation exfoliation – how does it help? As we established earlier, your skin is made up of layers, with the top layer of dead skin being what’s visible. This top layer is also where the effects of hyperpigmentation will be most obvious.
Not to worry; the use of an exfoliating body wash or exfoliating bar soap can help lessen the appearance of hyperpigmentation. The removal of those top dead skin cells helps encourage the skin’s process of regenerating more cells. Thanks to this process, hyperpigmentation is given the chance to fade and lessen in appearance.
Exfoliating for Hyperpigmentation: What to Know
Ready to dive into a brand new exfoliation routine? Here’s what you need to know to ensure you set yourself up for success.
Types of Exfoliants
There are two main types of exfoliants. Understanding each and how it works can help you make the right call when it’s time to exfoliate your skin.
- Manual Exfoliation: This involves the use of something mildly abrasive to physically scrub off the dead skin. Scrubs, sponges, and loofahs all qualify as manual exfoliators.
A great example of a manual exfoliator is OffCourt’s Exfoliating Body Soap. Its medium grit texture gently removes the buildup of dead skin, sweat, and bacteria, while its formula helps to replenish your skin’s nutrients.
It’s important to hydrate and moisturize the skin following any exfoliation. While hydration promotes elasticity by restoring water to the cells below the skin’s barrier, moisturizing helps to seal that water within the skin’s barrier. OffCourt’s Exfoliating Body Soap has you covered in both departments. With shea butter, olive oil, and sunflower seed extract, this exfoliating soap is able to hydrate and moisturize the skin for a smooth, even finish.
Exfoliating Body Soap - Coconut Water + Sandalwood
- Chemical Exfoliation: Chemical exfoliation consists of using products whose chemicals, usually acids, have exfoliating properties. Chemical exfoliants work on a more molecular level; they remove dead skin by breaking the bonds of the cells, causing them to shed.
Chemical exfoliants can be a great alternative for those whose skin is too sensitive for manual exfoliation. A great product for chemical exfoliation is OffCourt’s Deep Cleansing Body Wash. This body wash is formulated with a combination of glycolic and lactic acid to leave skin hydrated, balanced, and gently exfoliated. It’s formulated with gentle ingredients that won’t irritate your skin as you treat hyperpigmentation.
Both of our exfoliating products come in tantalizing, fresh scents to leave you feeling and smelling clean. Our signature Fig Leaves + White Musk scent features the sweet, green quality of the fig leaf, which mingles well with the warm, woody scent of white musk. The result is a perfectly complex, spiced fragrance.
Meanwhile, our Fresh Citron + Driftwood scent boasts hints of zesty citrus paired with the light, seaside beachiness of driftwood, leaving you smelling crisply clean and coastal. Or, think bold with Coconut Water + Sandalwood, which combines black pepper, sandalwood, coconut water, and other natural scents for a dark and rich scent profile.
Deep Cleansing Body Wash - Fig Leaves + White Musk
More Water!
Hydration is paramount for strong, healthy skin, and after all that exfoliating, your skin may be craving a little extra H2O. The skin’s outermost layer needs water to remove toxins and carry nutrients to the cells that make it up.
Worry not because OffCourt has you covered with the Lightweight Facial Hydrator. Our lightweight hydrator – formulated to work with the elements of your skin, including sweat – absorbs into the skin for a cool, soothing effect without the slimy stickiness of grease. Perfect for post-workout, hot weather, and everything in between, this product leaves skin cool, firm, and energized.
Light-Weight Facial Hydrator
Don’t Wait to Add Exfoliation and Extra Hydration to Your Routine
Exfoliation has the potential to fix many of your most troublesome skin concerns with ease. Be it for hyperpigmentation, dryness, texture, or dullness, exfoliation helps to rid your skin’s top layer of the buildup, grime, and dead cells responsible for your troubles.
Whether you find that manual or chemical exfoliation works best for you, OffCourt has the products to help you smooth, soften, and strengthen your skin after a day of sweat, work, and stress, as well as keep it hydrated during the hours in between.
Say goodbye to hyperpigmentation and hello to softer, smoother skin that gets better over time. Get started today, or check out our full product line for even more ways to look and smell your best.