You’ve been faithfully sticking to your brightening regimen, yet the excess pigment you’re targeting appears to be getting darker rather than lighter. What’s going on? Don’t panic. It’s a natural phenomenon of the brightening process.

You’ve heard the phrase “darkest before the dawn.” It’s kind of like that. We like to call it the “worse before better” paradox of skin care. We’ll explain.

There are more triggers for pigment production than there are pathways for its elimination, which leads to the accumulation of melanin in the skin. Any trauma to the skin, including UV and chemical exposure, heat, cuts, bruises, irritation, hair removal, and acne, can cause inflammation that triggers the skin’s protective melanin response (hyperpigmentation). Hormones or genetics are responsible for the patches of discoloration known as melasma. In dark skin tones, the greater concentration of melanin in the skin means hyperpigmentation is more common and takes longer to fade.

Pigment production begins in the deeper layers of the skin and naturally rises to the surface, where it concentrates until it is removed via the shedding of dead skin cells. (The longer you leave it untreated, the more deeply rooted it becomes.) Active treatment accelerates cell turnover, pulling pigmented cells to the surface at a faster rate. This increases the concentration of melanin in the epidermis, creating a temporary darkening of the spots.