Do you have dark upper lip skin or dark shadowy area on the upper part of your lips?They look very unattractive. These marks sometimes spread to other parts of the body. But these are most common on upper lip area, forehead and both sides of the cheek. This is really a harmless skin condition known as melasma. But these pigmentation marks cause a lot of stress as they are of much cosmetic concern. This skin condition is very common in middle aged women of darker skin. But men are also susceptible to this problem. But how to fade these pigmentation marks?

Different Options For Treating Dark Upper Lip

You should remember that it is very difficult to completely remove these marks and it requires prolonged period of treatment and medication. In fact cosmetic companies are shelling out many products that promise to remove these marks overnight. If you use them regularly you do get some beneficial result. But successful treatment of dark upper lip is not that easy. Once you stop using these products, the marks return again. So what is the solution?

Reasons For Dark Upper Lip

Actually the solution lies at the cause. You need to find out what caused darkening of the skin on the upper part of your lip and caused facial pigmentation. This skin problem arises due to many factors. The most common are given below.

1. Over exposure to the sun.
2. Reaction to some cosmetics.
3. Allergic reaction to certain medicines like antibiotics or anti depressants.
4. Hormonal imbalance due to use of birth control pills or pregnancy.
5. Excessive use of the tanning booth has the same effect as over exposure to the sun.
6. Improper threading or waxing of upper lip.

Effective Treatment for Dark Upper Lip

So how do you treat this problem now that you know the reasons?

1. Protect yourself from sun by using good quality sun screen lotion.
2. Change or discontinue use of the cosmetic you are allergic to
3. If the medicine you are taking is causing pigmentation ask your doctor for a change of prescription or simply wait till the prescribed period is over.
4. Avoid tanning booth and being out in the sun.
5. Stop waxing or threading upper lip till the darkness fades and your skin is normal.

Home Remedy For Treatment of Dark Upper Lip

Now comes the actual treatment part. In can be a two way treatment procedure. You need regular exfoliation to remove damaged and darkened skin. You need to use skin whitening product or creams to whiten the skin and help fade the pigmentation.There is one natural ingredient that works miracles for dark upper lip and melasma. In fact it is very effective in treating all kinds of skin pigmentation. Take one teaspoon of fresh cream, a pinch of turmeric powder and few drops of lemon juice. Make a paste. Apply it evenly on the affected area. Let this mask stay on your skin for half an hour. Splash cold water on to clean your face. Do this everyday for at least a fortnight and you will be amazed with result.

Mineral makeup is popular today for many reasons. For one, women want to healthy natural look to their skin when they wear makeup. Using minerals from the earth is one way to accomplish that. But, these helpful minerals are not the only ingredients in some mineral cosmetics.

One such compound that is used as filler in cosmetics is bismuth oxychloride. One component, bismuth, can be located on the periodic table between antimony and arsenic. Natural bismuth is toxic to living organisms when it is burned, but it is the least lethal of its periodic table neighbors.

As filler, bismuth undergoes a refining process to become bismuth oxychloride. The first step involves combining it with another element, chlorine. Hydrochloric acid is produces which is still no good because it is a strong acid. Further addition of oxygen results in a harmless compound used as filler for cosmetics. Bismuth oxychloride can show as diamond or pearl in texture.

Bismuth oxychloride feels silky to the touch. Alone, it resembles a crystalline powder. It provides smooth coverage in mineral makeup and helps the minerals stick to the skin.

As filler in makeup, bismuth oxychloride adds a shine to the skin. Some women like it and some do not. A pearlesque bismuth oxychloride results in a matte finish to your makeup. On the other hand, the diamond texture leaves the skin shimmering.

Flawless coverage with a natural look and feel is the desired effect of mineral makeup. This coverage is achieved with minerals whether bismuth oxychloride is present or not. Some manufacturers don’t use this filler because of its less than desirable properties. Check your makeup labels for any evidence of bismuth oxychloride.

Why you are better off without bismuth oxychloride
1. Bismuth oxychloride adds shine and shimmer to the skin. For many women this look is over the top as far as looking natural. If you have oily skin, the shimmer makes the oily look more noticeable. No one will object to how bronzing from the sun makes their faces look, but they’ll want to eliminate the shining.
2. Large pores appear larger when bismuth oxychloride is present. The compound doesn’t do a good job of concealing that fact. Using makeup is one way to reduce the appearance of larger pores when bismuth oxychloride is not present.
3. Bismuth oxychloride is not a naturally occurring mineral. The basis of mineral makeup is to use natural products to enhance the look and health of your skin. Traditional minerals blend into the skin when it warms and do no harm even to people with skin issues. As a manufactured compound, it can cause problems.
4. Bismuth oxychloride is an irritant to the skin of some women. If you are that unlucky woman, the filler compound can cause skin breakouts, itching, and even rashes on otherwise healthy looking skin. It’s hard to tell if bismuth oxychloride will affect you in this way so it’s safer to avoid it altogether.

If your mineral makeup contains bismuth oxychloride consider switching to one without the compound. Your skin will be healthier for the switch.