Why “Just Use Sunscreen” Isn’t Enough Advice for Melanin-Rich Skin

By Eva Taub

“Just wear sunscreen” is the most common piece of advice given to anyone dealing with dark spots, and it’s not wrong — but on its own, for melanin-rich skin specifically, it’s incomplete, and I want to explain why.

Sunscreen prevents new UV-triggered pigmentation and stops existing dark spots from getting darker. That part is true regardless of skin tone, and yes, dark skin absolutely still needs it — melanin offers some natural protection, but nowhere near enough to skip sun protection entirely, especially once you already have hyperpigmentation you’re trying to fade.

Here’s the part that gets left out: sunscreen prevents pigmentation from getting worse. It does very little to fade pigmentation that’s already there. I see so many clients who’ve been diligently using sunscreen for months, frustrated that their dark marks haven’t budged, not realizing that sunscreen was never going to do that job on its own — it was doing a different, equally important job.

Fading existing hyperpigmentation needs an active ingredient that actually addresses the excess melanin already sitting in the skin — and for melanin-rich skin, that ingredient needs to be gentle enough not to trigger more pigmentation while it works. This is exactly why I formulate around mandelic acid rather than faster, harsher acids: it exfoliates gradually enough to fade existing dark marks without the irritation that can make things worse.

So the fuller version of the advice is this: sunscreen every single day, without exception, to protect progress and prevent new pigmentation — and a gentle, consistent, melanin-safe active alongside it to actually fade what’s already there. One without the other leaves you either protected but stuck, or treating actively but losing ground to the sun in between.

— Eva