Important Consideration for Melanin-Rich/Non-Caucasian Skin
It can be very tempting to purchase the stronger strengths of my Mandelic Maven Serum and Benzoyl with Benefits Lotion because often times we assume that the stronger a product is, the faster it will clear up our acne or hyperpigmentation.
Unfortunately that is not the case with either of those conditions. In fact, skipping ahead to the stronger products can actually stop your acne from clearing (this is because acne adapts to products so you need to start on low strength ones and gradually build up. Starting off at the highest strength product leaves no room to increase).
Further, starting off with strong acne products may potentially cause more hyperpigmentation (this one applies to all non-caucasians...read on for more information).
This is a very important consideration to take into account if you are someone with non-caucasian skin. Examples include but are not limited to African-American, Middle Eastern, Indian, Hispanic, Mediterranean, Asian or anyone of non-Caucasian skin. These people are more prone to developing hyperpigmentation or darkening around the mouth area. This area includes the smile lines and everything in between them, so the upper lip, all the way down to the bottom of the chin.
This hyperpigmentation can generally occur anywhere on the face (forehead, cheeks, nose, neck, etc) or body (if treating body acne) but it is most likely to happen around the mouth. Please know that this is not something that occurs specifically or exclusively from Carm Acne products. This can occur from ANY acne product or professional treatment that is drying to the skin OR can occur if the customer excessively rubs or scrubs off dry/flaking skin. This is because darker skin tones have melanocytes (pigment cells) that are more easily stimulated.
Estheticians, dermatologists, beauty bloggers, and skincare companies do not openly talk about it. I think that is a shame because I believe everyone should be informed. In my office, we sometimes see clients come to us that already have this pre-existing from past acne remedies that have dried out their skin or from when they rubbed or scrubbed their dry/flaking skin. Often times they do not understand how their skin darkened because they were not told of this possibility.
The good news is that it is not permanent and with time it will resolve. There is no set timeframe though for hyperpigmentation to go away. Some can see it lighten after a few weeks, while for others it may take months or in some very rare cases a year or longer. I do want you to also know that just because you have melanin-rich skin, does not mean that this darkening will 100% occur. We have seen it happen so rarely after a client starts our acne products, but I wanted to bring it up so you are informed. I want you to be aware of this possibility and know that it can be caused by anything drying to the skin or if excess friction occurs from rubbing or scrubbing dry skin.
The best way to lower the possibility of this hyperpigmentation is by starting off with lower strength acne products and gradually building up their strength over time. In most cases this will prevent the skin from overly drying out (some dryness is normal and expected but we don't want your skin extremely dry). All of my kits come with a kit manual that will guide you every step of the way on how to slowly and steadily increase your products. These instructions are very thorough and only available with the purchase a kit. So if you are a new customer, please do not be tempted to purchase a high strength product in the hopes that you can take a shortcut to clear skin and lightening up post-acne hyperpigmentation. It is always advised to get a kit which contains the right products and the entire instructions for success. While I cannot guarantee that darkening will not occur for non-Caucasian skin, following my protocol exactly as outlined will greatly lower this possibility.
To learn more about how dryness can cause hyperpigmentation in non-caucasian skin please read the following article from Skin Inc: CLICK TO READ ARTICLE