I am subscribed to tons of YouTubers, and one of them is Farah. She has several videos discussing the effectiveness of turmeric against hyperpigmentation. While I have not tried her homemade mixtures (nor intend to anytime soon), I did view this is an opportunity to find any research on turmeric and hyperpigmentation. What did I find?
- In one study, turmeric demonstrated effectiveness against hyperpigmentation and other UVB-induced skin damage in mice. It specifically prevented the following: an increase in skin thickness, a reduction in skin elasticity, formation of wrinkles, and formation of melanin induced by chronic UVB exposure [1]. The mechanism by which turmeric accomplishes this is believed to be via the "inhibition of increases in metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression caused by chronic irradiation".
- Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, "protects skin by quenching free radicals and reducing inflammation through the inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B [2]".
[1] EFFECTS OF TURMERIC ON CHRONIC UVB-INDUCED SKIN DAMAGE (2009)
[2] SKIN REGENERATIVE POTENTIALS OF CURCUMIN (2013)
One of Farah's many videos on using turmeric for the skin:
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