Did you recently struggle with acne, infection, or perhaps harmful exposure to the sun, and now you are left with uneven skin? Well, if yes, you are not alone.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, more than 5.1 million people struggle with acne or any sort of skin issue that can inevitably lead to dark spots on the face. Where most people let self-consciousness take over them, some people opt for cocoa butter to create a better long-term solution to any sort of dark spot issue they may have with their skin.
If that’s why I’ve caught you here, today is your lucky day! Here’s an in-depth guide on how cocoa butter helps with dark spots to make it an essential guide you need to read to amp up your skin condition.
So, let’s get started!
- Refined Cocoa Butter is one of the greatest natural moisturizers
- Keep the skin moist and wrinkle free.
- 100% pure organic high quality product
- SHIPS IN A FOOD GRADE PLASTIC BOTTLE
- Usage Rate: 1-100%
How long does cocoa butter take to remove dark spots?
Let’s get this straight here. Cocoa butter doesn’t necessarily “remove” dark spots. Pure cocoa butter uses its naturally oily properties to increase blood flow and moisturize your skin in a way that speeds up the healing process. No, this healing could include anything as long as your skin isn’t broken.
So, how long does cocoa butter take to remove dark spots?
Depending on how many times you apply it every day, it can take up to around 14 days to start showing you visible effects. However, as the process of damaging your skin is an ongoing process, you can make cocoa butter as a part of your daily routine to nourish your skin and becomes the barrier to protect it against many externalities.
In a nutshell, although it is not something that can replace your sunscreen or skincare treatments it can always prepare your skin to react better to the products you put on your skin.
Also Read: Does Cocoa Butter Cause Acne?
Dark Spots: Common Causes, Prevention & Treatment
Dark spots on the skin, also known as hyperpigmentation, solar lentigines, or age spots depending on the cause can take their own name. However, the solution of all remains the same. Here are some of the common causes of dark spots that you might be able to relate to and move further down the guide.
1. Artificial Tan
People who opt for artificial tan using artificial UV lights are likely to be more prone to dark posts than others. This is because it can trigger the overproduction of melanin, a natural skin pigment that is responsible for adding color to our hair, skin, and eyes.
2. Medications
These posts are also a result of medications that may seem harmless at first but can have cancerous effects on your skin. If medication is the culprit behind your dark spots, you will get to see light to dark brown or black colored, flat, and generally oval-shaped dark spots on your skin.
This is because medications like the one mentioned below tend to make your skin hypersensitive to sun exposure and enhance the impact the harmful UV rays have on our skin:
- Tetracyclines
- Antibiotics such as Adoxa, Minocin, or Declomycin
- Estrogens like Vagifem and Estrace
- Antidepressants like doxepin (Sinequan)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Retinoids like acitretin, isotretinoin
Exposure to UV Light
Here comes the most common cause of dark spots. Be it artificial or natural, as you go to middle age, your body starts to show the consequences of what sun exposure has done to your skin. This means with this type of dark spot, you can expect to see them in your middle ages. The worst part is, they can appear anywhere.
Upon closer look, you can start seeing them in areas like:
- Face
- Back
- Shoulders
- Back of your hands
Skin Conditions
There are certain skin conditions and diseases that can cause dark spots to occur in certain places of your body. These conditions include:
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
- Diabetes
- Tetracyclines
- Psychotropic drugs
That’s it. However, the silver lining is, regardless of your age, there is always hope to not only prevent dark spots but treat them as well and that will unravel your true beauty that lies beyond the dark spots.
Also Read: Is Cocoa Butter Good for Oily Skin?
Treatment
The good thing about dark spots is that it doesn’t hurt, nor do they have a different texture from the rest of your skin. Therefore, it isn’t necessary to get rid of them. However, many people do it for the sake of cosmetic purposes and to enhance the overall appearance of their bodies.
They can be treated using prescribed medicines, medical procedures, and at-home treatments of long-term effects. Here’s a standard treatment that many people go for.
Topical Treatments
Prescription bleaching creams are normally used to reduce the appearance of dark spots over time. It can be a relatively slow method when compared to medical producers but it will surely work. Hydroquinone is an active ingredient found in bleaching creams to do wonders for your skin. However, counting on bleaching should always be a short-term fix as safety is quite questionable.
In fact, the FDA has limited the concentration of Hydroquinone to 3% in prescription products and 2% in over-the-counter products to keep your skin from gaining texture or other harmful diseases.
Also Read: Best Cocoa Butter for Face You Can Trust! [Top 7 Picks]
Facts about Cocoa Butter for Dark Spots
Now that was it for treatments that are specifically made for dark spots. Cocoa butter is known for using its own ways to slightly brighten your dark spots and reduce its appearance for a better look. Here are the top 3 facts about cocoa butter for dark spots.
1. It’s a rich Moisturizer
As cocoa butter is high in fatty acids, it is used to nourish your skin deeply and penetrate down into the layers of your skin to bring out the youthful flair of your body. Therefore, it can be a fantastic addition to your regular moisturizers and lips to amp up your results.
That’s not even the best part. Considering how easy it is to access them, you will find them in almost every house. Ranging from inexpensive tubes to easy-to-use sticks, you can buy cocoa butter both on and offline if you prefer to go the extra mile and create a DIY skincare solution of your own. You will also get to find two forms of cocoa butter: refined and unrefined.
The unrefined version has a slightly yellow tint and has numerous benefits for your skin. Here’s is unrefined cocoa butter I found on Amazon. However, as it has a strong chocolate smell, many people prefer to apply it raw on their skin and hair.
2. Improve Blood Flow
The application process of cocoa butter requires you to thoroughly massage your skin 2 to 3 times a day. Though slow, this can have excellent results in healing your skin from dark spots and preventing skin irritation like eczema and dermatitis.
3. Boosting skin health
Without knowing, we have been putting cocoa butter on our skin for years now. This is because products like moisturizers and anti-aging creams are packed with cocoa butter to get .unprecedented benefits. It can also protect your skin against sun damage and use its polyphenols to boost your skin health with time.
Also Read: Cocoa butter on Face at Night: Benefits and How to Guide!
Myths about Cocoa Butter for Dark Spots
As we all know how hailed cocoa butter is for its miraculous skin benefits. But is it really what they claim to be? Here are some of the myths busted today to help you see the real picture of cocoa butter.
1. Preventing stretch marks
Many people believe that stretch marks can be prevented, especially the ones after pregnancy. However, while using cocoa butter can improve the elasticity of your skin to prevent stretch marks, it can’t heal it once you have stretch marks on your body.
Not just that, clinical studies have found no concrete evidence to suggest healing of stretch marks by using cocoa butter.
Therefore, let’s just stick to the fact that stretch marks fade as you evolve and your skin takes its own time to heal.
Also Read: Best Cocoa Butter Lotion for Stretch Marks
2. Skin Whitening
Believe it or not, many people opt for cocoa butter only because of this misconception. Sure, cocoa butter can hydrate your skin and even out your skin color; however, it cannot be used as a skin whitening treatment to go a few shades lighter than the original color of your skin.
Also Read: Does Cocoa Butter Lighten Skin?
Cocoa butter for Dark spots? What does Research say?
The truth of the matter is, there hasn’t been much research on the effectiveness of cocoa butter on the skin. Recent studies have shown how cocoa butter doesn’t work well for stretch marks and has been used as a way of hydrating the skin rather than improving specifically dark spots.
On the other hand, if we consider the research done on its ingredients like Polyphenols and flavonoids, and fatty acids, we get exposed to many unmatched anti-inflammatories and antioxidant benefits of cocoa butter. Therefore, cocoa butter has the potential to prove itself with further medical research.
Things to know before using cocoa butter for your face
If we go back to the basics, the “fat” of the plant is actually the butter to help nourish your skin with its nutrients. It is solid at room temperature and has a lower melting point and a super long shelf life. This means you wouldn’t have to keep up with the storage restrictions of the butter once you have purchased it.
Another thing to bear in mind is that considering the oil present in the butter, it may not be the best option for oily or acne-prone skin as it clogs your pores. Take the right precautions before you slather it all over your face. However, it can be a great choice for your body as it won’t take much longer to moisturize the rough, dry, and flaky areas around your elbows and knees.
Also Read: Best Cocoa Butter for Face You Can Trust! [Top 7 Picks]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to Remove Dark Spots With Cocoa Butter?
First and foremost, start with good quality 100% pure cocoa butter to get the maximum results. As this is the most concentrated form of butter it has the potential to yield the best results for your skin. You can then begin the process by thoroughly washing and exfoliating the skin to remove the dead cells and letting cocoa butter go deep into the layers of your skin.
Remember never to exfoliate too hard as it can do more harm than good. Then apply the cocoa butter directly to the skin and let it soak in it for a few minutes. Then, go ahead with your regular moisturizer to improve the effectiveness of both.
If you stick with it daily after a shower and before sleeping, you will begin to see gradual results within a few months.
Does cocoa butter lighten scars?
Although it won’t remove the scar with consistent use it can make your skin supple, smooth, and slightly improve the overall appearance of your scars and even out your skin tone.
How long does it take for dark spots to go away?
Aif the spot is a few shades darker than your skin, it will take around 6 to 12 months to get it back to your original color. However, if your case is severe and you have been struggling with dark spots for years, the recovery process with cocoa butter can take up a few years. This is because discoloration resides deep into your skin and damages it.
How long do you leave cocoa butter on your face?
As it has a thick consistency, it can clog your pores and inevitably cause breakouts. Therefore it is best to leave cocoa butter for 10 minutes on your face.
What Cocoa butter is Best for removing Dark Spots?
A well-known cocoa butter that has been raved by its users is Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Eventone Dark Spot Corrector, as it offers an additional dose of advanced ingredients to fix age spots, sun damage, and anything you can think of providing a luminous complexion for your face.
How often should you apply cocoa butter to Dark Spots?
Massage cocoa butter on your skin 2 to 3 times and make it a part of your daily routine to get the best results.
Does Cocoa butter help with stretch marks during pregnancy?
Cocoa butter is an excellent way to prevent stretch marks, not help eliminate them. If you start using cocoa butter in your early pregnancy, you can decrease the chances of getting stretch marks in the first place.
Now, it’s your turn…
All in all, cocoa butter is known as one of the best moisturizers known today. As its primary ingredient is chocolate, the rich sweet aroma can have an irresistible impact on not just you but the people around you as well. However, no scientifically backed research proves it is specifically great for helping with dark spots.
However, over time, thanks to its excellent healing properties, it can surely help speed up the natural process of recovering your scars and leave you with ravishingly beautiful skin.
