[Column] Half of women are troubled by this? Say goodbye to underarm darkening!
As a woman, you want to enjoy fashion anytime, whether it's sleeveless tops or dresses, right? That's where underarm care becomes a concern.
Even if you can get underarm hair removal done at a beauty salon, aren't you bothered by the darkening of the skin? If you're thinking, "The darkening won't go away even after hair removal..." or "It's still dark and dull even though I wash it thoroughly...", the cause might be "hyperpigmentation".
In fact, data shows that one in two women are concerned about underarm darkening! We asked a doctor about the causes of underarm darkening and how to deal with it.
Three causes of underarm darkening
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- Sebum and old dead skin cells
- The underarms, which are prone to sweating, are susceptible to clogged pores from sebum and old dead skin cells, which can oxidize and turn dark.
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- melanin
- The thin, delicate skin of the underarms has robust protective mechanisms, such as melanin production. The browning of the skin when you get a sunburn is also due to the action of this melanin pigment. In delicate areas like the underarms, melanin pigment is produced in excess, and this pigmentation makes the skin prone to darkening.
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- Strong stimulation
- The underarms are particularly susceptible to irritation from friction and hair removal. In particular, continuing to use harsh razors or tweezers for self-hair removal increases the risk of darkening, and if aftercare is insufficient, the darkening will accumulate over time.
Prevention and treatment of underarm darkening
First, be careful not to damage your underarm skin with rough self-treatment. Also, skin has a regenerative function called "turnover," so dark spots usually disappear little by little. However, this turnover function declines with age and due to lack of nutrients in the skin. Therefore, promoting turnover is important for preventing and treating dark spots.
What they need is a humid environment and nutrients.
For moisturizing, it's effective to do your skincare after your bath at night and in the morning. Make sure to get enough essential nutrients like proteins and vitamins that make up your skin. Dark spots don't disappear immediately, so you need to put in consistent effort.
Your skin is delicate. If you continue to stress your skin without taking care of it, dark spots will only get worse. Take a look in the mirror and see if the dark spots have increased compared to before.
If you think, "Huh?", you'll want to start taking care of it as soon as possible.