One of the reasons I formulated La Vitamine C Powder, was my need to find a skincare product that would help me reduce the visibility of my hyperpigmentation, and that would be of natural origin, too. In my late 20’s and early 30’s, I had quite much hyperpigmentation on my face. I was feeling very insecure about it; I strongly desired having an even skin tone but couldn’t find a product that was natural and effective enough to help me get rid of it. So, I embarked on a journey and created it myself.
WHAT IS HYPERPIGMENTATION OR MELASMA? First of all, let me start by explaining what hyperpigmentation or melasma exactly is. Melasma is a form of hyperpigmentation. Melasma is visible as irregularly shaped brown spots that are caused by a combination of predisposition, sunlight, heat, and hormones. They are most common in women (90% of all people with this condition) and usually of childbearing age. They often flare up during pregnancy. In that case, it is often referred to as a ‘pregnancy mask’. The condition is often experienced as very disturbing and is difficult to treat.
Melasma can be distinguished into two different forms: a deep and a more superficial form. Melasma ‘spots’ in their superficial form, i.e. only in the epidermis, are often brown in colour and fairly easy to treat. Deeper pigment spots are more difficult to treat and can be recognized by a more greyish blue colour.
WHAT GIVES MELASMA IT DARK COLOR? Pigment, also called melanin, is a brown dye that is produced by the skin. If melanin is produced evenly, you get an even brown colour. If this process gets disturbed, for example by hormones, pigmentation spots can develop.
TREATMENTS AGAINT MELASMA Luckily, there are different ways to treat melasma. As mentioned above, depending on the type of melasma you are dealing with, you can either choose laser treatments, which are more abrasive, or choose to apply skincare products that we specifically formulated to treat hyperpigmentation/melasma.
One of the best-known ingredients to treat hyperpigmentation is hydroquinone, which is forbidden in over-the-counter skincare products in Europe, as it is known to irritate the skin. Another great ingredient that is effective against hyperpigmentation is ascorbic acid or vitamin C. This is much more skin-friendly and it’s a natural option. Also important: it is legally available and therefore an important ingredient in over-the-counter skincare products and cosmetics to help treat melasma.
VITAMIN C HAS SCIENTIFICALLY BEEN PROVEN TO HELP COMBAT HYPERPIGMENTATION Many studies have been done to research the effect of the treatment of melasma with ascorbic acid. In 2004, a study [1] was conducted into the efficacy of the substances hydroquinone (hydroquinone) and ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, in melasma.
Sixteen women with melasma applied a cream containing 5% ascorbic acid to one side of their face and a cream containing 4% hydroquinone to the other side. They did this for sixteen weeks. Hydroquinone gave great results to 93% of the women, but 11 out of 16 women had side effects. With ascorbic acid, 62,5% had great results, and only 1 person out of 16 had side effects. This study clearly showed that ascorbic acid is a far better option than hydroquinone in terms of side effects.
LA VITAMINE C POWDER AND EFFECTIVENESS My desire was to formulate a product that was effective against hyperpigmentation and that would simultaneously be natural and not causing any negative side effects. I knew I wanted to add ascorbic acid to this desired product, as it is one of the most effective, natural ingredients. In order to be that effective against melasma, you need at least 5-15% of ascorbic acid. This is a lot and not many products on the market have that amount of ascorbic acid in them. This makes La Vitamine C Powder so unique, because I formulated it in a way that approx. 15% of ascorbic acid will be used with each application. This makes it so effective against hyperpigmentation. I also added ferulic acid, which is another powerful antioxidant that also helps to combat this pigment.
Since the first creation, I use La Vitamine C Powder every single day, and I can honestly say that my skin tone is always the same. Of course, during summer I’m a bit more tanned, but I don’t have to deal with those big brown spots that I had in the past anymore.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN TREATMENT Probably, it is no news to you that prevention is better than treatment. One of the most important ways to prevent melasma from happening is to stay out of the sun and to put on SPF when you go out. Also, don’t forget to put it on your hands and neck as well, as they are areas we often tend to forget. Your skin will be visibly grateful when you get to being in your 60s 😉.
Espinal-Perez LE, Moncada B, Castanedo-Cazares JP. A double-blind randomized trial of 5% ascorbic acid vs. 4% hydroquinone in melasma. Int J Dermatol. 2004 Aug;43(8):604-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2004.02134.x. PMID: 15304189. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15304189/