For a heavier treatment, slice a lemon into halves and squeeze the juice onto the dark skin. However, it is correctable with time. Some other causes include chemotherapy treatments, certain illnesses, excessive sweating, and lack of hemoglobin in your red blood cells. Hyperpigmentation or skin discoloration can cause dark areas to appear on your face. Dark upper lips are a problem for many women, especially those with naturally darker skin tones. Cucumbers Take a slice of cucumber and hold it to your lips for about five to 10 minutes and let the cool, watery vegetable rehydrate your lips. Some derms may prescribe a cream with hydroquinone (a somewhat controversial, but very effective skin lightening ingredient) and others may prescribe Tri-Lumaa potent topical that combines hydrocortisone, hydroquinone, and tretinoin (aka Rx-strength retinol). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. These include sun exposure, dehydration, smoking, excess caffeine consumption, and other lifestyle-related factors. What March has in store for your star . or "pregnancy mask" (hormones!). Amaro-Ortiz A. Yan B. Strawberry paste 6. But were breaking it all down belowread on to see the best ways to both treat and prevent those fine lines around the lips. Rash upper lip: if above the lip, on skin, may be dry skin from winter, try coconut oil, or irritation from runny nose or eczema, rarely get eczema from strep, If i. That healing response turn prompts your cells to make to make brand-new, fresh skin that hasnt yet experienced the effects of hormones and sun, explains Dr. Maiman. Apply the scrub to the skin above your lip, rubbing in circular motions for up to a minute before rinsing it away with cool water. Oil oil helps in softening the lips. You can take tretinoin a type of vitamin A to encourage your body to shed dead skin cells at a better rate. Is Skin Cycling the Secret to Better Skin? "They help block blue light from your computer and phone," she says, "and they also give you extra UVA protection.". Buff your lips daily with a clean toothbrush, a damp washcloth or a lip scrub to remove flakes and boost circulation. A condition called melasma also leads to brown patches on the face, especially prominent on the upper lip area. Rinse it off using warm water. Apply this mixture to your lips, using your fingers to gently rub it in. When you step outside, put on a lip balm with SPF to protect your lips from the sun and prevent them from getting darker. The overactivity can happen for any number of reasons (which is one of the reasons melasma is so hard to treat), but the two biggest causes are sun exposure and hormones, hence why you sometimes hear melasma referred to as a "sunstache" (sun!) Take one large lemon or two small-sized lemons and squeeze in half glass of lukewarm water. You can get many products that use paper mulberry as ingredient and help treat melasma. Electrolysis is successful at permanently removing dark, thick upper-lip hair after several sessions, but it varies depending on hair thickness, hereditary factors and stress levels. For fine lines around the mouth area, superficially injected fillers will plump up the skin and fill out the lines without adding a bulky, unnatural look. Unlike pigment-targeting lasers that work by zapping excess melanin in the skin, microneedling helps treat melasma by creating tiny wounds in the skin which triggers a healing response. Gently exfoliating the lips can help remove dead skin cells. And, if you want to kick the protection up a notch, choose a sunscreen that also contains iron oxides. Like hyaluronic acid, collagen is something our bodies produce less of as we get older. Rarely, these dark patches may appear on other sun-exposed areas of the body. Enjoy! You usually need to go for five procedures to get satisfactory results you may also require a maintenance treatment every 4-8 weeks. Lasers can be used to treat a multitude of skin issues, from sunspots and acne scars to stretch marks and skin growthsand most pertinently, fine lines and wrinkles. Keep repeating the process consistently at bed time. Chemical exfoliants refer to exfoliating acids, like AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs, says plastic surgeon Melissa Doft, MD. Simply apply a thick layer of pure aloe vera gel around your mouth and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse off. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. There are several things you can do to get your skin above the upper lip back to a healthy skin color. Women who have medium to dark skin tones are most likely to develop melasma. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. She specializes in Mohs surgery and cutaneous oncology. It's pointless, since UV exposure is basically a one-way ticket to melasma town. The only thing better than successfully treating fine lines around the upper lip area is to prevent them. You can get hydroquinone in the form of lotion, cream, liquid, and gel. For instance, you can opt for products that contain mandelic acid, watercress, bearberry, lemon peel extract, vitamin C, and apple cider vinegar. Hormonal changes that lead to discoloration are more likely to affect women with darker skin tone. To get rid of dark of dark skin on upper lip, you can choose to use natural home remedies or go for treatments over the counter. 4. In addition to the . Use these treatments at night, when you won't see UV rays for a while. As a rule, apply a nickel-size blob to your face before you head out the door in the morning and then reapply every two hours after that. Byrdie takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Afterward, you can eat the cucumber. If your stubborn melasma isn't responding well to over-the-counter products, it's worth making an appointment with your doctor to talk through the different prescription options. Beat egg white from one egg. inhibit tyrosine production and perform the same function. Botox is a known anti-wrinkle treatment that relaxes the muscles that contract when the face or lips move. I have the same problem, a red rash above my lip (under my nose) with ridges in it, I am not allergic to . This will help reduce the appearance of dark spots over your lip. Wash off with water after some time. (You can also make a DIY lip scrub by combining a small amount of coconut or . Much of the discoloration will fade or disappear once hormones stabilize and you stay out of the sun. Melasma can't really be "cured." Beetroot juice can also be a home remedy for dark lips. Do this every day. Apply sun block (such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) to vulnerable areas. Not only is melasma triggered by a bunch of different things (we'll get into more of that later), it's a clinger. This article was co-authored by Tymia Yvette. Laser treatments work by using continuous light beams or pulsed energy to vaporize the skin's thin, outer layers. Both sides of the philtrum are bluish. It can be very effective and is relatively affordable. Those spots look quite unsightly, and they are very unattractive when they are on your upper lip. Microneedling is the process of pricking the skin with ultra-fine, small needles to generate new collagen and reveal firmer, smoother skin underneath. Womp womp. The only upside to my life of brown patches? Make Use of Tretinoin You can take tretinoin - a type of vitamin A - to encourage your body to shed dead skin cells at a better rate. UK. Extract some lemon juice and apply on the skin. The trick is to seek laser removal for the right type of hair, at the right time. The methods listed here will work on the skin as well. Kudos!". Treatment involves avoiding the irritating substance if possible. Dermatology Intensive 3 in 1 Review for Wrinkle Removal & Antiaging; MAC RUSSIAN RED LIPSTICK REVIEW - For All Skin Tones (Fair Skin, Dark Skin, Tan Skin Tone) See Also Skin Lightening. Pat your skin dry with a soft towel. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Pomegranate 12. Tip: The most effective skin lightening ingredients include kojic acid, azelaic acid, arbutin and vitamin A, so you should look for creams containing a combination of these. It can fade on its own or in some cases it can linger for years, says Dr. Okereke. The good news is that, in most cases, dark upper lip area can be treated. If you experience this issue after starting a new medication, talk to your doctor and ask for an alternative. Bad news first: Skincare routines take time to work. Sciton Halo laser. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,716,006 times. Born in India, WOW Skin Science delivers high-performance, plant-powered solutions backed by science. Glycerin: Glycerin can help to prevent dark lips and eliminate dry spots caused by dryness. Stick to just one exfoliating product at a time and use it as directedand if you're using other strong actives, like retinoids or vitamin C, use your chemical exfoliant on alternating days/nights to avoid irritation. Leave this mask on your lips for 20 minutes. It primarily affects women (fact: 90 percent of people with melasma are female, says Dr. Okereke) in their 20s, 30s, and 40sso really, any adult woman can get it. Sangya Shaily is a content writer from Mumbai, India. I accidentally left it on a few minutes longer than the allotted time. Aloe Vera Gel Applying an aloe vera gel helps heal the cracks that occur in chapped lips and can also aid in relieving the pain it may cause. That's because, as Gmyrek points out, it's only effective on darker hair, as the laser specifically targets the pigment of the hair. Do this at least once daily to get the desired results. It is also a good idea to avoid potential irritants, such as steroid creams or inhalers . Apply lemon juice mixed with some milk around the mouth and lips, over the dark skin and gently rub it. And youve probably heard many of these preventative measures before, whether its from your overly-cautious mother or an actual dermatology professional. Sometimes it is called the "mask of pregnancy" or "chloasma." If the cause of the problem is melasma, seek melasma treatment. 3. The only way to get an accurate diagnosis is to see a specialist such as a dermatologist. There also the genetics thing: If your mom or grandma has or had melasma, chances are you could too. "Chemical sunscreens only block UV light, but zinc sunscreens block all types of light, making them more effective at preventing melasma," says dermatologist Saya Obayan, MD. Use sunscreen that protects against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation. While tretinoin alone is not going to resolve the issue for good, it will certainly help make the affected skin shed quicker. Melasma can be treated with the Clear and Brilliants Permea hand-piece, says Dr Maiman, which exclusively treats epidermal melasma and is considered safe in all skin tones because it reduces the likelihood of inadvertent damage to pigment-producing cells that sit deeper in the skin. It does so by inhibiting tyrosine kinase and thereby inhibiting melanin production. These natural substances can help limit the production of pigment-producing components in your skin. Therefore, it is very important to protect your skin from these harmful rays by wearing a facial sunscreen everyday -- even when it's not sunny. However, sometimes your lips and their surrounding area may start looking darker and uneven, which can be unpleasant. 13. A few years ago, I once tried bleaching my upper hair lips. While we love at-home microneedling tools, if used improperly you run the risk of scarring and infection, therefore it might be best to stick with the pros if its your first time. 3. Molecules. Sophie Ross has covered beauty and fashion for more than five years.