How to get even-toned skin in 5 steps

There are two main factors that make a skin tone appear to be uneven: texture and colour. To get rid of uneven skin tone, you need to smooth the texture, decrease the dark spots, and decrease the redness.

On the other hand, the body is notorious for making way more pigment faster than it can remove it, so you’ve got to protect your skin to prevent pigmentation from returning so quickly.

So just how do we go about doing all of those things? Keep scrolling to read all about it. But first, what is uneven skin tone?

We’re sure that you’ve heard the term “uneven skin tone” a million and one times, but have you ever stopped to think about what it truly means? If not, don’t worry, because we are happy to share everything you need to know about it.

Uneven skin tone is characterized by both skin discolouration and a change in your skin texture. Take a good look at your face in the mirror. Are their areas that are obviously different in colour (precisely darker) or feel rougher from the surrounding? If yes, then your skin is probably uneven.

The first and foremost step you need to take to solve any skin issue is to find out what the root causes are. Here are some of the leading causes of uneven skin tone: What causes uneven skin tone?

It isn’t a skin condition but rather a term that refers to dark spots on the skin. Hyper means above. Pigment means colour. Together, hyperpigmentation refers to the excess production of colour. Melanin is a pigment that is produced by melanocytes. It is responsible for the colour of our hair, eyes, and skin.

This pigmentation is harmless, but is one of the causes of uneven skin tone triggered mainly by over exposure exposure to the sun or natural events that forces the skin to produce excess melanin as you would see explained further below.

The tricky part about inflammation is that it is as necessary as it is destructive. Inflammation is what signals the body to initiate healing when there is acne, injury or infection.

In that context, it’s a good inflammation that plays a critical role in keeping the body healthy but when inflammation is prolonged as the skin undergoes the healing process, our natural protector (melanin produced by melanocytes) gets triggered as a result skin becomes uneven with redness, scars and dark spots.

Dry skin often lacks sebum, making it vulnerable to cracking up easily which leads to the rough bumpy texture that turns out uneven. Unhealthy or damaged skin triggers melanin which leads to discoloration and patchy skin.

Age spots are dark patches caused by sun damage as we age. Over time, these dark patches tend to darken and become more noticeable and pronounced. Age spots are most common for people with lighter skin tones, though they can affect all skin tones.

They are usually flat, oval-shaped, and beige, brown, or black-coloured. Generally, age spots are observed in the most exposed areas to the sun for many years (like on the face, shoulders, arms, hands, and chest.)

Of course, ageing itself (not from the sun this time, but just natural ageing) also impacts uneven skin tone. And while you can’t prevent your skin from ageing, you can use this recommended anti-aging skincare product as part of your mature skin routine.

Going through the hormonal changes in the body is enough as it is, but alas, they can also cause uneven skin tone. Especially if you are on some form of contraceptives, birth control or pregnant, the imbalance in hormones leads to high melanin production.

Another word for all of this is melasma which could also be developed from reactions to certain drugs or cosmetic products.

Though you can’t see them, floating particles in the air like smoke, chemicals, dust, and carbon dioxide are always present. These particles can seep into your pores, and as they get into your pores, your immune system gets into defense mode. Your skin starts producing excess melanin. As a result, your skin becomes more uneven.

Want the simplest answer? An even skin tone is bright, smooth, and free of dark spots.

The key to maintaining an even skin tone, is to build a skincare routine that focuses on both smoothing out the texture of your skin as well as treating and preventing hyper-pigmentation (skin discolourations, dark spots, melasma, acne scars, redness).