Pigmentation is the concern most likely to come back worse than it started, because the inflammation used to clear it can provoke more of it. The safer sequence is actives first, peel second, SPF throughout. Hydra-Bright Alpha Arbutin Drops combine alpha arbutin, lactic acid and azelaic acid, which makes them the sensible opening prescription for most skins, including those where a peel carries a pigmentation risk.
Key takeaways
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is what makes pigmentation different from every other concern.
- Fitzpatrick V to VI carry a higher risk and need specialist assessment before any peel.
- Actives first, peel second. Alpha Arbutin Drops are the low-risk opening move.
- Two vitamin C routes: 20% Hydra-Bright Vitamin C Drops, or 15% C-Shield Drops with glutathione for sensitive skin.
- Without daily SPF the whole protocol is wasted, in every month of the year.
Every other skin concern forgives an over-aggressive approach. Congestion clears and returns. Dehydration corrects. Texture work that goes too far leaves a client uncomfortable for a fortnight and then recovers.
Pigmentation does not behave that way. The inflammatory response that a strong treatment provokes is itself a trigger for pigment production, which means an over-aggressive intervention can leave the skin darker than it was before the client walked in. That risk is the organising fact of the whole category.
Why the sequence runs actives first
The instinct with visible pigmentation is to reach for a peel, because resurfacing produces the fastest visible change. On pigmentation specifically, fastest and safest point in opposite directions.
Starting with topical actives does three things. It begins to address pigment production without an inflammatory event. It gives you twelve weeks of observation on how this client's skin behaves before you commit to a peel. And it establishes the home-care routine that will protect whatever the peel achieves, before the peel happens rather than after it.
Clients want the reverse order. The consultation is where that gets settled, and the honest framing lands well: the fast route is the one that risks making this worse, and pigmentation is the concern where making it worse is hard to reverse.
The actives
Hydra-Bright Alpha Arbutin Drops. Alpha arbutin with lactic acid and azelaic acid, in the Brighten + Glow category, suitable for all skin types. Three complementary routes to a more even tone in one bottle, and the lactic acid provides gentle surface renewal without the inflammatory load of a peel. This is the opening prescription for most pigmentation clients. Reference entry: alpha arbutin, and the range sits in the alpha arbutin collection.
Hydra-Bright Vitamin C Drops. 20% vitamin C with multiple peptides, in the Brighten + Glow category. The stronger brightening option, and not suitable for sensitive skin. For a client with an intact barrier who wants pace, this is where the pace comes from.
C-Shield Anti-Pollution Drops. 15% vitamin C with glutathione and kakadu plum, in the Protect + Prevent category, suitable for all skin types. The route for a client who cannot take the 20% formula, and the better choice where environmental exposure is part of the picture.
Reference entry for both: vitamin C.
The peel decision
When the skin has been on actives for a meaningful stretch and the barrier is sound, the peel conversation opens.
Hydra-Bright AHA Glow Peel at Level 4, 20% vegan lactic acid, is the usual choice. Lactic is the humectant AHA and the gentler penetrant, which is what you want where inflammation is the risk. It suits dull and pigmented skin across most skin types.
Beta-Clarity AHA Clarifying Peel at Level 4, 20% mandelic with salicylic, is the choice where the client presents with congestion and post-blemish marks together. Mandelic is the largest and slowest of the alpha hydroxy acids, which is the property that makes it useful here.
Levels 5 and 6 are glycolic-led and fast. On a pigmentation-prone skin they are a considered decision for a client whose recovery pattern you already know, not an escalation to reach for because progress feels slow. The level logic is set out in which peel level.
Fitzpatrick V to VI
Higher Fitzpatrick types carry a higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and that changes the plan rather than adjusting it. Specialist knowledge is required before any peel, the conservative level is the right level, and the actives-first sequence matters more here than anywhere else in the category.
Where a client presents with a pattern that suggests melasma, that is an assessment and referral question before it is a product question. Recognising the limit of the clinic's remit is part of the consultation, and clients respect it.
SPF, or none of it works
A pigmentation protocol without daily SPF is a protocol running against its own results. UVA penetrates cloud and glass, so this is a twelve-month requirement and not a summer one, for the reasons set out in the post-treatment SPF piece. Oil Free SPF 40+ or C-Shield Anti-Pollution Moisture Tint, and the tint has the additional advantage of visible coverage while the tone is still evening out.
The retail shape of a long protocol
Pigmentation work runs in months, not appointments, and that is a commercial feature rather than a problem. A client on a twelve-week active protocol with a review at the end of it is a client with three or four replenishment purchases in the diary and a clinical reason to return. The slow route is the one that holds the client.
FAQs
Why can treating pigmentation make it worse?
Because the inflammatory response that a strong treatment provokes is itself a trigger for pigment production. An over-aggressive peel or an active introduced too quickly can leave the skin darker than it started, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is difficult to reverse. This is why pigmentation protocols run actives first and peels second, with daily SPF throughout.
Which Glo products suit pigmentation?
Hydra-Bright Alpha Arbutin Drops are the usual opening prescription, combining alpha arbutin, lactic acid and azelaic acid, and suitable for all skin types. For faster brightening on an intact barrier, Hydra-Bright Vitamin C Drops at 20% vitamin C, which are not suitable for sensitive skin. C-Shield Anti-Pollution Drops at 15% vitamin C with glutathione suit sensitive skin and environmental exposure.
Can clients with darker skin have a chemical peel?
Fitzpatrick V to VI skin carries a higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, so specialist assessment is required before any peel and a conservative level is appropriate when one goes ahead. The actives-first sequence matters more for these clients than any other, and a presentation suggesting melasma is an assessment and referral question before it is a product question.
The full protocols are in the Glo Pro protocol library, and the consultation questions are scripted in the Consultation Scripts Pack. Questions, call 01636 402521 or email pro@gloskin.beauty.