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What is oatmeal?
Oatmeal may refer to oats that have been dehusked, steamed and flattened, or to a rough flour made from oat grains. Oatmeal is popularly served as a porridge. However, there are also topical uses of oatmeal, like in the form of oatmeal face masks.
What is it best for?
A face mask made with oatmeal can be used to soothe dry, irritated skin. You can also use ground oatmeal to exfoliate and remove dirt, oil, and dead skin cells. It can be used for cleansing, moisturizing, and to reduce inflammation. Oatmeal can help in getting rid of excess oil from your skin, which makes it beneficial for those who suffer from acne.
Oatmeal is also a great, mild ingredient that reduces redness and irritation associated with eczema.
It also has antioxidant properties, making it beneficial in anti-aging products to protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals.
What is the drawback?
Oatmeal has few downsides when applied topically, other than the fact that a homemade face mask can be a little messy. Take our skin quiz to find out if you need to add this wonderful ingredient to your skincare regimen.
Melasma is a specific example of hyperpigmentation. Melasma looks like whole patches of brown or darker skin across the parts of the face and neck. Melasma is common among women who are pregnant - it’s even referred to as “the mask of pregnancy.” But melasma can occur in both men and women who are not pregnant, too. Melasma can be caused by UV damage, but there are also genetic, hormonal, and medication-induced causes for melasma, too.
There are a variety of topical ingredients that can be used to lighten the skin from melasma or reduce its appearance. Each ingredient works in different ways, and each has their own benefits and drawbacks. hydroquinone, arbutin, vitamin C (ascorbic acid, and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, etc) are some of the most commonly used ingredients for melasma treatment.
Hydroquinone is a skin lightening cream that works by suppressing the production of melanin. There are drawbacks to using hydroquinone, however, including cancer risks demonstrated by recent scientific studies, as well as hydroquinone-induced ochronosis.
Arbutin is a synthesized derivative of hydroquinone. It acts as a powerful skin lightening ointment that works a bit differently than hydroquinone. It blocks the production of melanin instead of “bleaching” the skin.
Vitamin C can be used as a brightening agent to lighten the hyperpigmentation of your sunspots or melasma. It works by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase, preventing the formation of melatonin.
Ascorbic Acid is actually the formal scientific name for one form of Vitamin C. It can refer to either a naturally occurring Vitamin C found in foods such as citrus, or a synthetic form of ascorbic acid created to be more shelf-stable for skincare products like discoloration repair lotions and creams.
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is another form of Vitamin C. By synthesizing this compound from Vitamin C, dermatologists are able to give us all the benefits of Vitamin C in a more shelf-stable form that can also be soluble in oil to make more effective, deeper penetrating skin products. (Herndon 2016)
Ingredients in the vitamin A family (ie. Retinol, tretinoin, etc) and acids (glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid) help damaged pigmented skin cells shred faster, so they also help with melasma.
Oatmeal may be effective for melasma, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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