How to Use Niacinamide for Pigmentation?

Skin pigmentation can be more persistent than you think, and exploring the right skincare ingredient can be overwhelming with so many options around. You may have tried everything but seen no improvement, making you frustrated and clueless. This is your sign to start considering niacinamide in your skincare regimen to target pigmentation.

However, knowing this is not enough. What is niacinamide and does it really help with pigmentation, if yes, then how to incorporate this active ingredient into your skincare routine; we will get all these queries resolved in this blog.

What is Niacinamide & Its Benefits

Niacinamide, a derivative of vitamin B3, occurs naturally in nature and is a must-have vitamin for you, including your skin. When taken in the topical form, it becomes super-easy for it to get absorbed into your skin. Generally considered a gentle ingredient, it suits almost all skin types.

Moreover, you can easily apply it in the morning or nighttime skincare routines. Considered an all-rounder skincare ingredient, niacinamide assists in skin healing from different forms of acne to fighting the signs of ageing.

Oily skin types can reap benefits from this ingredient to wipe out the excess oil production. By controlling the oil, it resolves several issues like acne, pimples, and enlarged pores.

Moreover, niacinamide is powerful enough to make your skin even toned and fights the early signs of ageing, including fine lines by boosting the production of collagen. Apart from this, if you are facing redness on your skin due to some reaction, niacinamide has shown proven benefits.

It aids in enhancing skin's hydration as well. If one is dealing with dry skin and a broken moisture barrier, using niacinamide consistently can help improve the condition as it provides intense hydration.

Understanding Pigmentation and Its Causes

Melanin, a pigment in the skin made by melanocytes - a kind of skin cell, is responsible for inducing colour to your skin. When melanin undergoes disruptions of changes, it can cause disorders like hyperpigmentation in which the dark spots occur, hypopigmentation in which the light spots occur, or depigmentation in which the white spots occur on the skin.

Let’s discuss these types in detail;

1. Hyperpigmentation: Sometimes, melanin content becomes too high in the skin causing it to become much darker than your actual skin tone. But why does this happen?

• Multiple factors lead to dark spots such as,
• Scars from acne, also called post-acne hyperpigmentation
• Age spots and birthmarks
• Excessive exposure to the sun
• Addison's disorder
• Pregnancy or birth control medicines

2. Hypopigmentation: When the amount of melanin gets extremely low, you can notice some lighter spots on the skin, which is called hypopigmentation.

Some of the factors that can contribute to hypopigmentation are;

• Albinism which is a genetic condition happens rarely.
• Sun exposure
• Ulcers and blisters
• Skin infections and injuries
• Psoriasis and eczema

3. Depigmentation: There can be certain circumstances where your skin tends to lose its pigment up to a great extent, and that turns your skin white.

Vitilogo is a common example which is an autoimmune disease.

Does Niacinamide Help with Pigmentation?

Yes, it does. Niacinamide is proven to be a safe skincare ingredient for tackling pigmentation issues. Niacinamide can be a skin-lightening agent that is highly safe compared to bleaching agents and chemical peels.

Let's see how it acts on your dark spots;

Niacinamide acts on melanin synthesis and can reduce it which further controls hyperpigmentation or dark spots to widespread. Moreover, it minimises dark spots and makes your skin appear smoother and radiant. By boosting the production of collagen, this ingredient ensures your skin remains elastic and firm adding to its overall complexion.

How to Incorporate Niacinamide Into Your Skincare Routine

Niacinamide being an all-rounder skincare ingredient is comparatively easy to use, can be combined with other skincare ingredients, and benefits the skin with various concerns at once.

• Cleanse first as it makes your skin a clean surface prepared to welcome other ingredients. Then, take a niacinamide serum and dispense it with the help of a dropper on your face and neck. Use fingertips to spread it evenly.
• Next, you should know to wait a little after applying niacinamide serum. It allows the serum to get absorbed into the skin and reach up to the innermost layer of the skin addressing the issue from within.
  
  
  
• Then, you can put on moisturiser. A skin-firming and hydrating moisturiser works and locks the skin’s moisture along with intensely hydrating it.
• Foremost, you can use it either in your daytime or nighttime depending upon your preference as it brings about no complications in any part of the day. It doesn't react with sunlight and is mild in nature. Due to its convenient nature, you can use it daily. In fact, it is better to use it every day for better results.

What to Pair with Niacinamide to Maximise Results

To increase the impact of your treatment, you can pair niacinamide with some other ingredients. To your note, not all ingredients are safe to get combined and you must ask your dermatologist before taking any action.

Niacinamide and Retinal

Niacinamide and retinal can work as a wonderful team together to increase the cell turnover of your skin which is responsible for decreasing the transfer of melanosomes. This process helps in pigmentation reduction and gives you blemish-free and smooth-textured skin. It also aids in getting rid of acne scarring.

Niacinamide and Vitamin C

Vitamin C aids the production of collagen in the skin and when it gets paired with niacinamide, together it targets hyperpigmentation and dullness of the skin. This duo brightens the skin and makes it firm and healthy with regular use.

Niacinamide and Salicylic Acid

Individuals suffering from post-inflammatory pigmentation can try this combination. By encouraging cellular growth, they promote gentle exfoliation resulting in clear and bright skin while treating the redness, and risks of future breakouts, and reducing skin congestion.

Niacinamide and Alpha Arbutin

Commonly recommended by dermatologists, niacinamide combines well with alpha arbutin when it comes to eliminating dark spots and blemishes. Skin discolouration caused by various reasons, including environmental aggressors, UV rays, inflammation, and any allergies can be fought with this pair of ingredients.

When to Expect Visible Improvements

There is no one-word answer to this question. It depends on multiple factors ranging from your skin type, concern, the kind of serum you are using, the ingredients it contains, and lot more.

Some users with the proper use can witness mild differences in 3 to 4 weeks, especially if their dark spots are mild. After 4 to 8 weeks, the pigmentation may start to fade and significant changes can be noticed after that period.

However, the results may vary with the concentration of the serum too. You must consult your dermatologist for the same.

While it's important to choose the right serum to target your concern, you must have patience to gain results. It's not something that can show the difference in your skin overnight, you require discipline. Make a skincare routine with a niacinamide serum and be regular with it. If you are lazy or skipping applications, the process of improvement can take much more time than it takes in normal circumstances.

Best Serum with Niacinamide for Pigmentation

DRSQ brings you Radiance 3D - 10% niacinamide serum. This concentration is ideal to hone in on your skin pigmentation. It is infused with ultra-low weight hyaluronic acid to reduce immune-derive inflammation, and sodium PCA to deeply hydrate the skin as its primary ingredients along with glycerin and rose water.

If you have been dealing with hyperpigmentation for a long or facing acne-scarring, this serum is your trusted companion. You can incorporate this into your daily routine, including the AM as it protects against sun exposure, makes your skin bright, and saves from excessive dryness. However, it’s entirely a safe formula to be used twice a day as well.

Conclusion

While niacinamide can help you addressing multiple skincare concerns simataneously, it has shown proven outcomes when it comes to hyperpigmentation. For better and faster results, you can pair it with vitamin C, alpha arbutin, and salicylic acid after taking your skin expert's advice. These duos can make your skin free from various ongoing concerns and amplify the results.