Skin Hyperpigmentation is a treatment that uses chemical substances to improve skin tone by lessening the concentration of melanin. How can the skin become lighter? Several chemical products have been shown to be effective in skin lightening. Most skin lightening treatments, can reduce or block some amount of melanin production by inhibiting Tyrosinase, the main enzyme producing melanin. Other treatments contain melanin inhibiting products or exfoliants (either topical cosmetic or chemical peels). PRE MELANIN SYNTHESIS - Tretinoin Research has shown that the use of tretinoin (retinoic acid) is effective in treating skin decolouration's, however, it can make the skin more sensitive to UVA and UBV rays, so the use of sun protection is very important during the treatment. DURING MELANIN SYNTHESIS - Hydroquinone is considered the primary topical ingredient for inhibiting melanin production and its components have potent antioxidant functions. The maximum concentration which has been proven to be safe is 4% and can only be administrated by trained professionals. It can be used alone or in combination with tretinoin. - Hydroquinone is a strong inhibitor of melanin production, meaning that it prevents dark skin from making this melanin, which is responsible for skin colour. Research has shown hydroquinone and tretinoin can be used to prevent sun or hormone induced melasma. - Kojic acid is a product in the fermentation process of malting rice . It has been shown to be effective for inhibiting melanin production. - Azelaic acid is used to treat acne but there also research showing it to be effective for skin discoloration and inhibiting melanin production. - Vitamin C is considered an effective antioxidant for the skin and helps to lighten skin. It can also be used in combination with vitamin E and L-Cysteine. - Alpha hydroxy acids, in the form of lactic acid and glycolic acid, are the most researched AHAs because they have a molecular size that allows effective penetration into the top layers of skin. They can be combined with the other products to improve the result and allow them to penetrate more easily. When used in isolation, they haven't been shown to be effective for inhibiting melanin production and will not lighten skin discolorations, but their benefit is in helping cell turnover rates and removing unhealthy or abnormal layers of superficial skin cells (exfoliation) where hyperpigmented cells can accumulate. In high concentrations (50%) they may remove skin discolorations but only a qualified physician should perform these type of facial peels.