What Is Uneven Skin Tone?
Uneven skin tone is characterized by skin discolorations and changes in skin texture. It is an umbrella term for multiple issues, including (but not limited to) dark spots, hyperpigmentation, dry patches, blotchiness, redness, and even blemishes. No matter your skin type, anyone can experience uneven skin tone.
Uneven Skin Tone Appearances
Because uneven skin tone is a broad term, there are multiple ways that the issue can present itself on the skin’s surface. Here are a few signs you may be experiencing uneven skin tone.
- Acne: Clogged pores that lead to blackheads and whiteheads may become inflamed, red pimples. Acne is caused by many sources, but irritation in your pores is one cause.
- Dark spots: Light brown or darker spots that develop on the skin after sun exposure and sunburn.
- Melasma: Brown or gray patches on the nose bridge, upper lips, cheeks, and forehead. This is usually caused by hormonal changes and is a type of hyperpigmentation.
- Dark circles: These are also known as periorbital hyperpigmentation, and can often be accompanied by under-eye bags.
- Post-inflammatory erythema (PIE): Red or pink patches that appear due to inflammation or damaged blood vessels.
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH): Brown spots that form in response to skin inflammation or trauma.
- Rosacea: A skin condition characterized by redness and pimple-like bumps on the face.
- Dry patches: Rough, flaky, and/or inflamed patches on the skin that are triggered by external (skincare products, allergies) or internal factors (dehydration, chronic skin conditions).
Uneven Skin Tone Causes
Just as there are multiple ways that uneven skin tone can appear, there can also be multiple causes.
- Hormonal changes: Melasma is often linked to increased levels of estrogen and progesterone, which appear as brown or gray patches on the skin. This also frequently occurs during pregnancy. Hence why melasma is often referred to as “the mask of pregnancy.”
- Aging: As part of your skin’s natural aging process, you may discover age spots, fine lines, and wrinkles.
- Genetics: Certain skin disorders are hereditary, including psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema.
- Drinking alcohol and eating spicy foods: This can lead to flare-ups of rosacea, which results in facial redness.
- Lack of sleep: This can cause the skin to appear dull and dark circles under your eyes.
- Chronic sun exposure: Spending too much time in the sun without adequate sun protection can increase the risk of sun damage and lead to dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles. Brown spots occur as a result of too much melanin being produced to help protect your skin from UV light.
- Pollution: Particles and gasses from traffic-related air pollution can penetrate the skin and lead to brown spots, especially on your face.
How To Fix Uneven Skin Tone
To treat uneven skin tone, it is important to begin by putting together your ideal skincare routine. This includes using both products that help improve visible conditions, such as hyperpigmentation and fine lines, and products that help minimize the appearance of uneven skin tone.
Sun Protection
Always use SPF. While sunscreen is the last step in your morning skincare ritual, it is so vital to combating uneven skin tone that we are listing it first. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against harmful UVA and UVB rays, as unprotected sun exposure is the leading cause of hyperpigmentation.
Exfoliation
If you have noticed uneven skin tone, the best course of action is to introduce an exfoliator into your skincare ritual. This allows you to slough off dead skin cells dulling the appearance of the skin’s surface. It also lets the hero ingredients in your skincare products work more efficiently and effectively, and deeply penetrate the top layers of skin. Even hyper-sensitive skin can benefit from exfoliation, albeit a very, very gentle formula.
Brightening Serums
Serums are packed with high concentrations of beneficial ingredients for your skin. A brightening face serum is especially important for uneven skin tone because it can help reveal a more radiant skin tone. Look for brightening ingredients, like Vitamin C and niacinamide.
Moisturize
Hydrating and soothing the skin with a moisturizer is vital to repairing and preventing the appearance of uneven skin tone. Whether you need a gel-based hydrator or an intensely rich cream, there is a moisturizer out there that can nourish your skin, helping skin not only feel better, but also look more radiant, too.
Best Products For Uneven Skin Tone
SPF
Sunscreen is vital. Try our Silken Pore Perfecting Sunscreen. The weightless sunscreen with broad-spectrum SPF 35 blends effortlessly and invisibly for matte, poreless-looking skin. Or try our newest SPF innovation: The Silk Sunscreen. Formulated with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, The Silk Sunscreen is specifically designed to visibly even skin tone. The weightless, hydrating formula also provides broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection.
Exfoliator
Exfoliating uneven skin tone is tricky. Try our beloved Rice Polish, which is a water-activated exfoliant for a transformative – but gentle experience. The creamy, cloud-like foam is made of finely ground rice bran and papaya enzymes to promote natural skin turnover, while the amino acid-base formula provides effective cleansing without stripping skin of essential moisture or breaking the skin barrier, leaving skin baby soft and supple. The non-abrasive formula is also safe for daily use.
Brightening Serum
A brightening serum is a must for uneven skin tone, but many are too harsh or not efficacious enough. But try our Brightening Serum. The formula includes two forms of Vitamin C and is stabilized by antioxidant-rich Japanese beautyberry, helping to reveal brighter skin and a more translucent, youthful glow. Mild fruit alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) resurface dullness and uneven skin, while Japanese angelica root helps to reduce the look of dark spots, discoloration, hyperpigmentation, and post-acne scarring.
Moisturizer
All of our moisturizers include our proprietary Hadasei-3 complex, which is a blend of time-tested Japanese superfoods. The trinity of double-fermented Akita rice, Uji green tea, and Mozuku algae deliver hydration for healthy-looking skin. But not only does the skin look healthier, but the complex also helps promote natural skin turnover for brighter, more radiant, and smoother skin.
Try The Silk Cream, which is a rich yet weightless gel cream that gives skin the look and feel of pure silk. It hydrates the skin with a new complete liquid silk protein that parallels the amino acid structure of human skin to form a whisper light, moisture-binding veil.
Experiencing more sensitivity? Try our award-winning Indigo Cream. It’s so soothing and hydrating for even the most irritated skin that it’s been awarded the coveted National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance.
How To Help Uneven Skin Tone At Home
In addition to using specific products in your skincare ritual, there are also a few changes you can seek to incorporate into your lifestyle.
Hydrate: We have all heard the time-old adage that drinking water helps to hydrate the skin and promote overall skin health. We recommend drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day to flush out toxins and free radicals, hydrate dry skin, and improve your skin tone and texture.
Sleep: One way to improve your skin’s dull appearance and the look of fatigued skin, including dark circles under the eyes, is to increase the amount of sleep you get each night. You should aim for 7-8 hours per night.
Patience: Uneven skin tone is one of the most stubborn skin issues to address, and unfortunately there’s no single solution or quick fix. As with any brightening or transformative skincare product, give treatments at least 30 days to start seeing progress. 45 to 60 days is even more realistic.
Uneven skin tone is perfectly normal – but it can still be a frustrating experience. Getting to the root cause of your uneven skin tone triggers is a journey unto itself – remember to be patient and kind to your skin on its path to healthy-looking luminosity.
