Sunlight is one of the most common things in our lives; absolutely every day, we expose ourselves to the sun and get the heat and light. However, there is a downside to sunlight as well: it makes your skin darker or, let’s say, tanned.
This skin tanning is due to the melanin production in your body, which keeps your hair black but also affects your skin color. Explore effective ways on How To Reduce Melanin and maintain a radiant, even skin tone while enjoying the benefits of sunlight.
When looking for ways to reduce melanin production to lower your skin pigmentation, make sure you are following through with this article. Here, you are going to get the details and information you need to get rid of your tanned skin effectively:
How Does Melanin Work In The Human Body?
Melanin is a natural compound present in your body, which makes your hair darker, gives a darker hue to your eyes, and even makes you tan. The more you get into the sunlight, the more vitamin D your body produces and the more melanin in your body gets produced. This leads to the formation of melanin layers on your skin, called tan.
Skin tan is generally induced by exposure to sunlight when melanin production increases. However, the color of your eyes and hair completely depends on natural levels of melanin, so if you try to reduce the melanin from your body for better skin color, be prepared for grey hair.
Natural Ways To Reduce The Effects Of Melanin
Skin tan is stubborn, and it’s not easy to get rid of it; you’d need to put efforts, products, and time into reducing tan from your skin. The pigmentation on your skin is caused due to direct exposure to sunlight and UV rays, so make sure you are using these natural remedies and reducing the melanin formation on your skin:
Aloe Vera Gel Can Be Effective
According to research and studies on aloe vera for a long time, it has been found that the gel inside it has two compounds called aloin and aloesin. These two compounds are highly beneficial in reducing melanin production in your body.
When you apply aloe vera for a continuous period of time, it reduces your skin pigmentation and makes your skin color lighter. The aloin present in aloe vera gel breaks down the melanin in your skin, and aloesin prevents the activity of tyrosinase, which eventually reduces melanin production in your body.
Stay In The Shadows
One of the best ways to prevent yourself from getting darker is that you stay in the shadows. This means that you can cover yourself with scarves and gloves when you get out into the sun. Covering yourself all the time might not be the solution for melanin reduction in your body, but it definitely won’t increase it. On the other hand, make sure you are getting some amount of sunlight to complete your body’s requirements for vitamin D.
Foods To Lower Melanin Levels
Eating healthy and getting proper nutrition is one of the key factors for your healthy and light-toned skin. Nutrition plays a crucial role in melanin production and can either elevate or deplete those levels significantly. Make sure you are adding the following dietary choices into your lifestyle to reduce your melanin levels and maintain them at that:
1. Having Turmeric In Your Diet Will Help
Turmeric is one of the best agents to reduce melanin synthesis in your body. There is an active agent found in turmeric called curcumin, which is significantly effective in reducing melanin synthesis and also lowers your skin pigmentation.
Tyrocynase is one of the main boosters of melanin production in your body, and curcumin turmeric reduces its synthesis and lowers pigmentation at the same time.
2. Take Advantage Of Vitamin C
Most of your skin pigmentation is induced by UV rays from the sunlight, and vitamin C can be an effective yet safe way to reduce your tan. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is specifically called melanogenesis inhibitor, which not only decreases the production of melanin but also reduces intermediates like dopaquinone. Make sure you are adding lemon juice and other citrus fruits to your diet for better results.
Skin Care Procedures For Positive Effects
Eating vitamins and minerals is an effective way to reduce melanin production in your body. Similar to that, skin care activities are also important to achieve light-toned skin and maintain it for the long term. When you are trying to reduce melanin pigmentation in your body, try to follow these activities for better results:
Apply Sunscreen Every Chance You Get
Sunscreens are not going to reduce melanin in your body; even if you think they would, they won’t. When you apply sunscreen on your skin, it maintains a protective layer and keeps the UV rays out to prevent the formation of melanin layer on your skin. There are some options in sunscreens, like those with SPF 30 or higher, which will be effective in protecting you from sun rays and reducing pigmentation from your skin.
Retinoids Can Help
When you apply retinoids or vitamin A onto your skin or take medications like tretinoin, it can deplete the cellular epidermal keratinocytes along with melanin production in your body. This leads to less pigmentation, and your tanned skin gets lighter over time.
Prioritize Exfoliation
Exfoliating your skin with natural scrubs every couple of days will come in handy when you are looking for light-toned skin. Not only does skin exfoliation reduce the melanin layers, but it also cleans pores, removes dirt, and makes your skin softer.
However, make sure you are using natural products to scrub your face, as your facial skin is much more fragile and can get rashes from harsh products.
The Wrap Up
When it comes to preventing yourself from sunlight, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll survive. Sunlight is an essential part of our lives, and we need it even if we get our skin tanned. Make sure you avoid excessive exposure to the sunlight but get some amounts in the morning for better mentality and physical health. Anyway, follow all the mentioned tips and ideas for reducing your melanin production effectively and maintaining light-toned skin.
References
- Ambrosio, A. L., Boyle, J. A., Aradi, A. E., Christian, K. A. & Di Pietro, S. M. TPC2 controls pigmentation by regulating melanosome pH and size. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 113(20), 5622–5627 (2016). ADS
- Krensel, M., Schäfer, I. & Augustin, M. Cost-of-illness of melanoma in Europe: A modelling approach. J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. 33(Suppl 2), 34–45 (2019). Article
