The way our skin ages is influenced by a combination of intrinsic ageing — the biological changes that naturally happen within our bodies as we get older — and extrinsic ageing, which is driven by external factors such as UV exposure, smoking, pollution and lifestyle.

From treating the wrong type of pigmentation to inadvertently triggering more melanin production, there are several reasons why hyperpigmentation doesn’t fade.

From dark marks left behind after a breakout to sun spots that gradually appear over time, there are several different types of hyperpigmentation — and understanding which type you have is an important first step towards treating it effectively.