How to Decrease Melanin in Body Naturally and Reduce Skin Pigmentation

Sometimes people experience an unwanted appearance in their body in the form of dark spots, patches, and an uneven skin tone. It makes them feel weird about their appearance. Well, the reason for this is excess melanin in body. Melanin is a pigment in the skin that is naturally synthesised by specific cells called melanocytes in epidermis. It is the major reason for your skin’s surface colour and defies a natural skin tone of a person. Today in this blog we bring you a key facts about it, and will help you know how to decrease melanin in body.

How to Decrease Melanin in Body: Knowing Types of Melanin

Before we hop on in knowing how to minimise the effect of melanin in body let us first understand its three forms, which are Eumelanin, neuromelanin and Pheomelanin. Starting from Eumelanin, they come in black and brown colours. It is the main factor behind the dark colours in skin, hair, and eyes. The absence of black eumelanin and least amount of brown eumelanin leads to blond hair.

Now coming to Neuromelanin, it is closely related with the colour of your neurons, whereas, eumelanin and pheomelanin monitors the colours that we see. Talking about pheomelanin, it is that type of melanin that pigments person’s pinkish parts of the body including lips and nipples. Having the equivalent quantities of eumelanin and pheomelanin results in red hair.

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Antioxidant-Rich Foods that Help in Minimising Melanin

After getting a brief overview of Melanin and its three types, now let us concentrate on our topic that is how to decrease melanin from the body. Well, for this, there are antioxidant-rich foods that you need to add in your regular diet. Let’s have a quick overview of foods that reduce melanin.

Green Tea

Helps decrease the amount of melanin and saves your skin from getting darkened by ultra-violet rays of sun. Rather than milk tea, you can prefer a hot cup of green tea for your daily sip.

Papaya

With a content of enzyme papain with vitamin C, Papaya is one of the anti-oxidant rich foods you must have as it helps in exfoliating dead skin cells. Besides that, it is even useful in brightening the rough skin tone.

Turmeric

Having active curcumin, this anti-oxidant rich food lessens the excess amount of melanin production, and even helps in reducing inflammation in individual’s skin.

Fruits rich in Vitamin C

What can be a better option if you prefer eating fruits in your daily routine. Well, in the case of getting rid of stubborn melanin, having oranges, strawberries, guava, lemons, and kiwi will do the needful. You can also prefer amla and bell peppers to fade hyperpigmentation.

Tomatoes

If you add tomatoes in your regular salads then it will be helpful in shielding against the harmful UV sun rays, and moreover remove the extra quantity of melanin.

How to Reduce Melanin in Skin: Other Useful Methods

Beyond the food items mentioned above that come as a solution to how to decrease melanin in body or skin, let’s get to know more other natural methods below.

Aloe vera

Aloe Vera is a natural plant you must have in your balcony. It is highly recommended by dermatologists because of its properties to reduce several skincare problems. And this is all because it contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Applying aloe vera on skin helps you get rid of stubborn skin eczema and acnes. It definitely answers your query of how to decrease melanin in body.

Argan oil

Next is Argan oil. It is also a useful product that is used from its natural extract. Rich in anti-oxidants and fatty acids, the components found in this oil, is beneficial for reducing inflammation and brightening of skin. Like Aloe vera, Argan oil is also an effective remedy in relieving you from skin problems like rosacea and eczema. Applying it daily will benefit in removing dark patches on skin.

Topical creams

Topical creams also join the list of skin-friendly items to remove hyperpigmentation. These creams are featured with azelaic acid, arbutin, and niacinamide. Because of these properties, topical creams make an essential need for lightening one’s skin and cutting down the production of melanin1.

Chemical Peels for dark spots

Chemical peels can also be an answer to your question of how to decrease melanin in body. Containing compounds like lactic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, they are best solution for exfoliation of the top layer of skin that has garnered too much of melanin. Applying chemical peels will also help in removal of dark patches and further led to healthy growth of new cells. Applying chemical peels under an expert’s advice gives good results in treating psoriasis, acne, warts, and minimizing hyperpigmentation.

Retinol for hyperpigmentation

Apart from topical creams and chemical peels, topical retinols are also a good option improving skin by shedding old, damaged, and cells (highly-pigmented). They are also the best answer to your excess melanin problem. Applying it daily helps in managing rough skin pigmentation that a person has developed after exposed to harmful UV rays of sun, and melasma.

Laser Therapy

If you want to get speedy recovery from excess melanin, then opting for laser therapy is also a good option. As the name suggests, this is a modern method that will focus directly on the melanin and targeting skin surface (over and under). It won’t cause you any irritation as it is done with light energy and intense pulsed light. Hence, this comes as an easier way to get relief from prolonged pigmentation.

How to Reduce Pigmentation on Face: Home Remedies

If you want to reduce pigmentation on face, then you must not forget applying a sunscreen cream daily, especially if your job demands of field work. But that does not mean you can keep it aside. Do use it when in indoors, as ignorance can elevate melanin clumping.

Another remedy is using tinted formulas when struggling with heat outside. Do cover up your face with hats and UV-protected sunglasses during peak hours as this is the time when the sun rays are very harsh on skin.

Key Nutrients for Healthy Skin

Below are the key nutrients for healthy skin that you must take note of.

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How to Decrease Melanin in Body Naturally and Reduce Skin Pigmentation

How to Decrease Melanin in Body: Knowing Types of Melanin