Why peels and exfoliating doesn’t always address pigmentation long term

Pigmentation is a seriously complex topic and condition to treat. The cell that makes our pigment is the melanocyte cell. The pigment is stored in granules called melanosomes, which are passed to your main epidermal skin cell the keratinocyte. They should be received, and then desquamated off (like your usual skin cell exfoliation). So, in the case of using chemical peels, or peeling pigmentation off, you are possibly gaining a lightening effect, but pigment is likely to come back, why?

Because you have only removed the already pigmented abnormal distribution of keratinocytes in the upper layers of the epidermis. Without affecting the behaviour of the long-lived melanocytes, the cells responsible.

So what about when the pigment isn’t epidermal, and why does some pigmentation take years to appear?

Your melanosome should be passed to your keratinocyte, but if it’s NOT, it can be dropped and end up in your dermojunction, which is where your epidermis and dermis meets. It can sit here for years before becoming visible at the surface as pigmentation. There are so many factors to take into consideration with pigment production, which I couldn’t even begin to simplify! But when using Dermaviduals, instead of focusing on exfoliation, I use ingredients like tyrosinase inhibitors, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids to strengthen the skin's barrier and support healthy melanin production.
 
KEY:
- Tyrosinase is the enzyme that helps give melanin pigment its colour.
- Essential fatty acids are responsible for a healthy cell membrane. A compromised cell membrane can be one reason the keratinocyte cell may not receive the melanosome
- Vit b3 inhibits the transfer, plus the actives shown. Inhibiting and stopping the process at each stage is far more beneficial than peeling off the epidermis.