India, Aug. 19 -- Ever feel like your skincare routine requires a degree in chemistry? Between dodging the latest social media hacks, wondering if your phone or laptop screen is secretly giving you dark spots, and trying not to burn your face off with acid serums, caring for melanin-rich skin can feel like a gamble. Also read | Glass skin, slugging or skin cycling: Which skincare trends actually work for Indian skin?

Because Indian skin sits comfortably in that phototype 3 to 6 zone, our pigment-producing cells are basically overachievers - one wrong move, and a tiny breakout turns into a dark mark that stays for months.

To clear up the chaos, HT Health Talk - a reader-centric series by HT Lifestyle that gets doctors and healthy experts...