SkinFitnessFacts.com News

Yes, it’s true. Research and personal experiences are proving that melasma is a result of a very tired set of glands. I’ve been reading a bit about it here and there, but without having done much experimenting on my own (I’m scared to give up coffee, I’ll admit it), I’ve failed to write much about adrenal fatigue here on Skin Fitness Facts.

However, a much braver and much more committed woman has. Her name is Ann Marie, and she has taken the steps to change her diet and treat her tired adrenal system to improve her overall health. She also has taken the time to write about how these changes in her diet have improved her melasma.

Check out Ann Marie’s blog, “Real Food,” and read all about her insightful look at how a modified diet of natural, unprocessed foods can improve your health tremendously. As a matter fact, this kind of diet can improve your skin fitness too.

But then again, we already knew that diet affected our skin. But maybe we just didn’t know by how much.

Many of us melasma sufferers are scared of hydroquinone – and for good reason.

Hydroquinone is a harsh chemical that works well in reducing the appearance of melasma, but at what cost? Yes, I want to reduce my melasma, but I also want to be kind to my body.

And this is why I’d like to recommend arbutin as a skin fit alternative to hydroquinone. (This recommendation will be one in a series of recommended skin lighteners, so stay tuned for more skin fit suggestions.)

Although arbutin does not stop melanin dead in its tracks, it does work to lighten dark spots including melasma and other hyperpigmentation. Very few skin lightening products offer 100% melasma removal, at least not in my experience, so any gentle and effective skin lightening product like arbutin is worth a try.

Here are the skin facts on arbutin:

• It is a skin lightener that slows down melanin production
• Arbutin is derived from a variety of berries (including cranberries, mulberries, and blueberry shrubs) and pears
• There are few side effects. In fact, arbutin can help reduce skin redness and irritation too.

Are you looking to improve your melasma with skin lightening products and skin fitness? Try incorporating healthy berries into your diet and try a skin care product like Dr Michelle Copeland’s Pigment Formula, which contains arbutin and other skin lightening ingredients.

A Skin Fitness Facts reader stopped by to share her experience of eating oranges and how it helped improve her hyperpigmentation (melasma)…

“Can I just point out that a month ago I fell ill with the flu. During that time I ate many oranges and I actually noticed a reduction in the melasma. My skin looked better than it had for years! I don’t whether this was related to the oranges or not, but I have not seen my skin like that for years!

Could there be a link between oranges and hyperpigmentation?”

To answer the question … yes, absolutely. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which is known for protecting the skin from free-radicals in the environment and it promotes collagen production.

Skin Fitness Facts covered this same topic in another post, “How many oranges does it take to remove melasma?” Check it out to learn how certain skin care products and nutrition can help improve hyperpigmentation and your skin’s fitness.