First aid for dark underarms

Dinner on a terrace in that beautiful dress, on the beach in your bikini, waving your arms in the air at a music festival. Especially during the summer months, our underarms are exposed daily, and we often feel a bit more confident with smooth-shaven skin.

But what if you’d rather keep your underarms covered despite shaving because of dark spots under your arms? Perhaps you’ve never heard of dark underarms, and in that case, you’re lucky, because it affects as many as one in three women.

Although some women are more prone to this problem, in principle, any woman can deal with it. One of the main causes is actually shaving!

How dark underarms develop

Your skin contains melanin (pigment): a natural coloring agent produced by the skin under the influence of light. This is what gives you that great tan during your vacation.

But when melanin is not produced evenly, brown, dark spots can appear.

The process can be disrupted for all sorts of reasons, and on all parts of your body, such as skin irritations, hormonal influences, or an abundance of UV radiation, causing the pigment to build up in the skin. Our underarms are the most common place where this annoying discomfort occurs: hence the name “dark underarms.”

Causes of skin irritations under the arms can include your shaving routine, friction from tight clothing, sweating, build-up of dead skin cells, and hypersensitive reactions to deodorant.

In addition, it can also have a medical cause: Acanthosis Nigricans (AN).
This can be caused by insulin intake in diabetes, being overweight, hormonal fluctuations, and certain medication use such as the contraceptive pill.

Women with dark skin, for example of African, Latin, Asian, or Indian descent, have a greater predisposition to AN and also to general hyperpigmentation.

If you have a dark skin type, you have a higher chance of dark underarms and other pigment spots.

Reducing and preventing dark underarms

Usually, dark underarms are not an immediate cause for concern, but they are a physical discomfort that most women would rather get rid of. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to reduce and prevent the phenomenon of discolored underarms.

Above all, being kind to your underarms is the best remedy.

Our underarms are hidden under covering clothing for much of the time and aren’t the first body part you think of when it comes to skincare. But a lot happens in this part of the body: shaving, friction from tight clothing, and sweating.

Creams against pigment spots

Previously, skin bleaching products (whitening products) were for sale, with hydroquinone as the main ingredient. When it turned out that this could be harmful to the skin in the long run, products with hydroquinone were banned from over-the-counter sale on the Dutch market. It is now only available by prescription, with only a low concentration of hydroquinone.

Hydroquinone suppresses the production of melanin, so it doesn’t so much bleach the skin, but prevents the formation of pigment spots.

In the Netherlands, other pigment products are available over the counter which, with long-term use, can reduce pigment spots. For example, Róa by YIONN.

YIONN Róa uses the natural addition of white mulberry in its lotion for its action against pigment formation. White mulberry has an inhibitory effect on the overproduction of melanin in the skin.

But Róa does more. Thanks to the careful composition of natural ingredients such as castor oil, honeysuckle, willow bark, and chamomile, it also directly addresses the cause, inhibiting the overproduction of melanin. Róa is effective against itching, red bumps, and ingrown hairs resulting from hair removal.

A total solution for those who, in addition to pigment formation or dark underarms, also suffer from shaving irritation and ingrown hairs.

Careful shaving

Never shaving again can counteract dark underarms, but for most women, this is not an option. Although you can often leave your razor alone during the winter months, in the summer months we still like smooth underarms in that sleeveless top.

Fortunately, preventing dark underarms doesn’t mean you have to stop shaving, but it does mean looking critically at the way you shave and what tools you use. A small adjustment can already prevent a lot of irritation, and thus the development of dark underarms.

We’ve all been guilty of it: quickly running that razor under our arms before heading out the door. But “that razor” is often one of the problems that can cause dark underarms. The classic razors we women are used to often have 3 to as many as 5 separate blades in the head, and a nourishing cream strip.

But 3 to 5 blades in the head also pass over your skin just as often and therefore give just as much chance of irritation. In addition, these so-called “multi-blade” razors first lift the hairs and then shave them off. A great smooth result because the hair is shaved off below the skin surface. However, the hair starts growing again from below the skin surface, which causes irritation and increases skin stress, stimulating melanin production. The nourishing cream strip is often nothing more than a soap strip. And soap dries out your skin. Yet another factor that encourages dark underarms.

So be critical of your tools.

Do you shave for hair removal? Choose a Single Blade razor. A steel handle with only 1 sharp blade in the head. Fewer blades passing over your skin, thereby keeping irritation to a minimum.

In addition, it is a sustainable alternative to disposable razors. A Single Blade razor is a one-time purchase that lasts a lifetime. Not only your dark underarms will be happy with that, but also the environment and your wallet. The separate blades are the only replaceable part of this solid steel razor, and much cheaper than the cartridges for a traditional women’s razor.

And good tools require the right components.

Appropriate protection in the form of a shaving cream ensures your skin is better protected against micro-cuts and hydrates your skin before you start shaving, makes the hairs softer, and ensures they are easier to shave off.

If you’re really serious about getting rid of those dark underarms, choose a shaving cream over foam or gel.

The protective layer is distributed more evenly with a shaving cream. There is no air in cream like there is in foam. In addition, a good shaving cream is often transparent in color. Unlike the fun bright colors in a shaving gel, you can see what you’re doing.

Exfoliating and hydrating

We understand very well that your underarms aren’t the first body part you think of when it comes to exfoliating. But this is exactly where you can have a significant build-up of dead skin cells and other dirt, such as sweat and bacteria. This build-up can be dark in color and easily confused with dark underarms resulting from melanin accumulation.

An excess of dead skin cells and dirt can cause skin irritations, which can lead to an excess of melanin.

Regularly exfoliating and hydrating your underarms ensures that dead skin cells are removed in a gentle way, minimizing the chance of irritation and thus the chance of dark underarms.

An enzymatic scrub & peeling also penetrates deeper into your skin layers, so that dead skin cells are removed there as well.

When choosing your scrub, keep in mind that your underarms are one of the most sensitive parts of your skin.

An organic-based scrub & peeling, such as YIONN Kjarr, is a gentle and effective product for your underarms, which, unlike traditional scrubs, ensures your skin is intensively nourished.

Limit sun exposure

Just like exfoliating your underarms, your underarms are also one of the parts of the body we sometimes forget to apply sun protection to. The same applies, for example, to our feet or the back of our knees.

But by exposing sensitive skin to the sun, especially when there are irritations due to shaving for example, discolorations in the skin can occur.

Therefore, also apply sunscreen well to your underarms, preferably with the highest possible factor, and avoid excessive sun exposure.

Changing deodorant

How many beauty products and how much time you spend on your appearance varies greatly per person, but almost all of us use a deodorant to keep our underarms fresh.

However, many deodorants contain aluminum, and this can cause dark underarms.

Switching to a natural deodorant can prevent this problem, but pay close attention to the ingredients. Natural deos often use sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, as an active ingredient, which can cause the same annoying effect for some women as aluminum-containing deodorants!

Laser therapy and peeling

If you really suffer a lot from dark underarms and want an effective method, you can choose to go to a dermatologist for chemical peelings or laser therapy. The disadvantage of these treatments is often the price, as it’s not cheap.

Natural remedies

Fortunately, there are also very cheap, simple ways to combat dark underarms with home remedies. Although scientific effectiveness hasn’t always been proven, many women still benefit from the natural remedies below.

Think of lemon, papaya, orange, but also yogurt, potato, turmeric, and carrot are praised for their effect.

Many dermatologists tackle hyperpigmentation with peelings based on fruit acids. It’s not a bad idea at all to try one of these remedies first, because your solution might just be sitting in the fruit bowl at home!

When should you see a doctor about dark skin spots?

In general, dark underarms are not an immediate cause for concern and for most women, it’s purely a cosmetic inconvenience. But when you think the phenomenon of dark underarms might have an underlying medical cause, it’s wise to consult a doctor or dermatologist.

In some cases, it can be a result of being overweight, diabetes, or the intake of hormones, for example a contraceptive pill. Changing your diet, lifestyle, or medication intake can often quickly resolve the problem of discolored underarms in this case.

Localized dark skin spots can, in very rare cases, also indicate a skin tumor. If in doubt, always consult your GP!

Are you looking forward to more handy tips or do you want to know more about YIONN skincare products? Check out our shop, follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram & Let’s stay in touch!