Dark spots? Surprise, surprise, it could be your perfume

Don’t you love that feeling when you walk into a room wearing a new scent and someone turns around to compliment you? We love perfumes — spritzing a little on our wrists and on our necks.

But here’s something you probably didn’t know: a third of perfumes are made with a citrus note called bergamot, derived from the bergamot orange. This lovely-scented ingredient is in fact a photosensitizer — that is, it makes your skin sensitive to the sun’s rays, promoting hyperpigmentation. This condition is known as block dermatitis and develops when your skin is exposed to perfume and then to sunlight.

We’re not saying don’t use perfume at all, but it’s always good to check your labels before buying anything. Especially if you have sensitive skin. If you find that your favorite perfume does include bergamot, avoid skin contact and spritz onto clothes instead.

Another culprit? Hormones. Those pesky chemicals don’t just make you fall in love. Hormonal changes can play havoc with our skin, resulting in adult acne. Severe acne can cause scars and marks, leading to dark spots.

And while we’re on the topic of skin inflammations, whatever’s bothering your skin, never scratch! We know, it’s hard to resist the urge, but resist you must. Scratching can irritate your skin further, triggering defense mechanisms that induce melanin production. A pimple or even a mosquito bite can turn into a dark spot if aggravated.

Avoiding these causes of dark spots is half the battle won, because preventing a dark spot is easier than getting rid of one.