Uneven Skin Tone: What Causes It And How To Treat It

We all strive for smooth, healthy skin. But redness, acne scars, age spots, sun damage, and other symptoms of uneven skin tone can keep you from reaching your goal.

Don’t give up! The experts at Babo Botanicals are here to help.

In this article, we discuss the causes of uneven skin tone and give you tips to keep your skin healthy and smooth no matter your age.

The Causes Of Uneven Skin Tone

Some common causes of uneven skin tone include:

• Hormones
• Side effects of medications
• Age

 

But in addition to those, sun exposure is one of the leading causes of uneven skin tone.

We’ve all experienced sunburn after a trip to the beach, but the sun’s ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays can dry out and damage your skin even when you’re indoors or when you don’t burn.

It’s not going to happen right away, but prolonged exposure to the sun without some form of protection can lead to uneven skin tone later on in life. The good news is that sun exposure is also the easiest cause of uneven skin tone to treat!

On the other hand, combatting the effects of hormones, medications, and age can be difficult because you’re fighting against your body’s natural processes.

Luckily, the tips in the next section will go a long way toward helping you reduce the signs of uneven skin tone no matter the cause!

How To Treat Uneven Skin Tone

1) Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

Applying a moisturizer every day does wonders for treating uneven skin tone! The right moisturizer strengthens your skin, hydrates, and reduces signs of imperfection.

But not all moisturizers are created equal. Some may do more damage than good.

Avoid moisturizers that contain:

• Alcohol
• Synthetic fragrances or dyes
• Parabens
• Sulfates
• Monoethanolamine (MEA)
• Diethanolamine (DEA)
• Triethanolamine (TEA)

 

Instead, look for a natural moisturizer that contains beneficial ingredients, like:

• Aloe vera gel
• Coconut oil
• Manuka oil
• Shea butter
• Colloidal oatmeal
• Calendula

 

Not sure where to start? Babo Botanicals Miracle Moisturizing Face Cream contains the perfect blend of active botanicals to help keep your skin smooth, healthy, and looking its best!

2) Drink Plenty Of Water To Prevent Uneven Skin Tone

You can do a lot of good treating uneven skin tone with a topical moisturizer. But to keep your skin truly healthy, you have to hydrate from the inside as well.

Thankfully, that’s not as difficult as it may sound! All it takes is drinking at least eight cups of water every day.

Here’s a simple strategy to ensure that you get the right amount of water throughout the day.

1. First thing in the morning, or before you finish breakfast, drink two cups.
2. Drink two cups at lunch and two cups at dinner.
3. Fill a water bottle with two cups and sip on it between meals.

 

Drinking plenty of water is one of the easiest, cheapest, and best ways to treat uneven skin tone, so make this one of the first things you try!

3) Apply Sunscreen

Another excellent way to treat uneven skin tone is by applying sunscreen every day. This won’t reverse or reduce the blotchiness that already exists, but it will help prevent any further damage from happening.

It’s also essential to apply (and reapply) sunscreen frequently throughout the day because your skin is subjected to the sunlight more than you may realize.

Even driving in your car or sitting near a window at work exposes your skin — especially the delicate skin on your face — to UVA and UVB rays.

Give your skin the love it deserves by protecting it with our Daily Sheer Facial Sunscreen SPF 40 - Fragrance Free. It’s the perfect protection for everyday wear and is gentle and soothing for sensitive skin.

Getting ready for a day in the sun and need to protect the rest of your skin? Don’t worry, our Clear Zinc Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 - Fragrance Free has got you covered!

Formulated with 16% Zinc Oxide, this non-chemical sunscreen moisturizes your skin with skin-soothing certified organic oils while providing effective sun protection.

And, after a long day out in the sun, follow up with our After Sun Soothing Hydrating Aloe Gel. The gentle formula is safe for both babies and adults, so it’s perfect for the entire family!

4) Avoid Certain Foods

Like water, food has a powerful effect on the health and appearance of your skin. In fact, certain foods can contribute to uneven skin tone and even speed up the appearance of dryness, age spots, and wrinkles.

To give your skin a fighting chance, avoid consuming a lot of the following foods and drinks:

• Dairy
• Sugary snacks
• Alcohol
• Spicy foods
• Refined sugars
• Processed foods
• Greasy foods

 

You don’t have to cut these foods out of your diet completely right away — although that will speed the process!

Instead, reduce the amount you consume little by little until you’re only eating and drinking these types of foods once or twice a week. After that, cut back to only eating a small amount of these foods once or twice a month.

Your skin — and the rest of your body — will thank you!

5) Increase Your Vitamin C Intake

Vitamin C protects your skin from the type of tissue damage that can lead to uneven skin tone. How does it do that?

Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant, meaning it counteracts the effects of harmful substances in your body, called free radicals, that can cause damage inside your body.

It’s very hard to eliminate free radicals completely because they’re caused by a wide variety of factors. But you can reduce the number of free radicals by implementing many of the tips on this list — including increasing the amount of vitamin C in your diet.

The easiest way to do that is to eat plenty of vitamin-rich foods, including:

• Strawberries
• Oranges
• Bell peppers
• Kiwi
• Guava

 

If those foods aren’t to your taste, you can also get more vitamin C in your diet by taking a supplement every day. You can increase the beneficial effects even further and reduce the signs of uneven skin tone by applying a topical vitamin C serum several times a week.

That said, we recommend starting with the vitamin C in your diet — working from the inside out is always best! If you don’t see results after a few months, try a vitamin C serum and see if that works.

6) Eat Niacin-Rich Foods

Never heard of niacin? We’re not surprised.

Niacin doesn’t get much press — especially when compared to the likes of vitamins C, D, E, and others — but it’s essential for the health of your skin (not to mention your hair and nails!).

In the right amounts, niacin improves your skin’s ability to stay hydrated. That, along with other beneficial effects, means that niacin can help:

• Brighten the appearance of your skin
• Reduce wrinkles
• Tighten sagging skin
• Preserve moisture in your skin
• Restore uneven skin tone
• Improve the signs of aging
• Reduce the incidence of pre-cancers

 

Like vitamin C, you can apply a niacin derivative (called niacinamide) directly to your skin, but the easiest and best way to start using niacin is to eat niacin-rich foods.

Niacin can be found in many foods, but it occurs in high amounts in:

• Green peas
• Tuna
• Mushrooms
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Guinea fowl
• Duck
• Cornish hen

 

Tweaking your healthy diet to include some or all of these foods is a great way to enjoy the benefits that niacin offers and combat uneven skin tone in the process!

Treating Uneven Skin Tone Naturally

Stronger options do exist, but before you resort to these medical-grade therapies, it’s always best to treat uneven skin tone naturally first.

Start by adding an organic botanical moisturizer — like our Miracle Moisturizing Cream — to your daily skincare routine and drinking plenty of water. Then apply sunscreen daily, reduce your intake of certain foods, and boost the amount of vitamin C you get in your diet.

These treatments are relatively simple and don’t take a lot of time out of your busy day. If you don’t see results after a few months, talk to your doctor and see what they recommend.