Dark Spots on the Skin: How to Remove Them?

The acne phenomenon is familiar to teenagers and many adults. Besides the pimples themselves, there is another occurrence: the "dark spots." These are comedones, the initial lesions of acne. The black spots that often appear on the face (and also on the back and arms) are essentially excessive secretion of oils from the skin's sebaceous glands. The secretion partially blocks the follicle opening. The black color of the comedones is due to the partial blockage, allowing rays of light to penetrate the follicle and oxidize the cells, giving them their black color.

These spots mainly appear during adolescence, as mentioned, and among people with oily skin. These dark spots are not harmful to facial skin, but they often cause aesthetic issues.

How to Get Rid of the "Dark Spots"?

The most effective way to get rid of dark spots is by visiting a cosmetician who extracts the excess secretion and effectively removes the spots. However, many people are interested in trying to remove the spots themselves.

However, it is important to know that removing dark spots independently is not recommended at all. An overly aggressive and unprofessional attempt to remove the spots may lead to facial scars, an undesired result. Specific products can break down comedones, but their effectiveness is not always sufficient, and visiting a cosmetician is preferable for efficient removal.

What you can indeed do is try to prevent the formation of these dark spots in the first place. How can this be done? First, avoid using creams or products that dry out the skin, such as those containing alcohol or menthol. Although it may seem that drying the skin helps prevent the excess secretion of oils, the opposite is true. Over-drying the skin can lead to the opposite effect as the skin compensates for the lost moisture, resulting in even more oil secretion.

Make sure to wash your face both in the morning and the evening with a quality soap that doesn't dry out the skin. You can also use specific products containing alpha hydroxy acids. These products help shed dead skin cells and renew the skin, thus preventing the formation of dark spots. It's advisable to use a light daily moisturizer based on water, not oil. Additionally, a gentle weekly facial exfoliation can aid in the skin's renewal.

How Do "Dark Spots" Form, and How to Treat Them?

"Dark spots" are comedones, the primary lesions of acne. It's about enhanced secretion of a fatty substance from the sebaceous glands, along with the shedding of dead skin cells that accumulate at the hair follicle's opening. These create a sticky plug of dead cells that partially blocks the follicle opening. Because the blockage is partial, sunlight penetrates the follicular opening and oxidizes the cells, imparting them with a black hue. This phenomenon primarily occurs in individuals with oily skin and during puberty. It can be mitigated by applying products containing a derivative of Vitamin A, such as tretinoin. The treatment for "dark spots" mainly involves extraction by a cosmetician or a superficial chemical peel that penetrates the sebaceous glands, based on salicylic acid.

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