Mary Anne Murmurs: Do you think buying high-priced products that claim to diminish sun/age spots are any better than the drugstore kind (like Olay’s?)
The Right Brain Roars:
Dark spots have a number of causes. For example, there’s the kind you get from acne scars. These are tough to get rid of! Then there’s the kind you get from sun exposure. Sunlight increases melanin production, the natural pigment in your skin that gives you a sun tan. Sometimes your melanin kicks into over drive and you end up with dark spots. Products that block this reaction can make your skin lighter. There are 3 basic types of skin lightening ingredients:
1. Hydroquinone
Proven to be the most effective ingredient but also the most controversial. Due to safety concerns, some countries have banned this ingredient. You can still find it in a number of products sold at different prices. For example, you can buy Black and White Bleaching Cream for only $12.00.
2. N-acetyl glucosamine
As we discussed in our post on Olay Definity, this glucosamine derivative has been proven to work in clinical trials. It’s less effective than hydroquinone, but it doesn’t have the same risks. How well it works will vary from person to person, but it’s priced low enough to give it a try. You can buy Olay Definity here for around $20.00.
3. Kojic acid and alpha-arbutin
We’ve blogged about these ingredients before; they’re used in products such as Meladerm. It’s a bit more expensive (around $50.00), but a number of our community have reported good results with Meladerm. You can buy Meladerm here.
And remember, using a sunscreen is a pretty good way to prevent dark spots from forming in the first place.
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I have been curious about Kojic Acid but would rather just get the ingredient by itself and blend it on my own. Is that possible?
I am just coming up on the “three month mark” for the use of a 2% hydroquinone product called Porcelana. I have used it faithfully, day and night. The day formula has a built-in sunscreen lotion: a MUST if you are going to keep faded freckles or age spots from coming right back.
I can happily report that it has done a remarkable job! Many of the spots are gone or are negligible. I will still have to follow up at a dermatologist to treat remaining spots with a laser but it should require fewer treatments.
Not bad for $5 a jar! If you buy it, just make sure to store it properly and stop after 3 months. A doctor can a prescribe a 4% strength lotion, as well.
umm i was wondering i have a dark brown pigment and wondering how to make it extremly light but also look beautiful i want it safe but with fast results
iv been wanting to know how to get rid of ,my butts skin irritations..could u give me some advice how to make it soft and irradicate those dark spots and no blemishes??..thank u..and i would be glad to have my question answered…lookin forward to it…
Hey Beauty Brains! The link above for where to purchase Meladerm actually is a click-through for an affiliate network. So if I purchase this product, you’ll make money?! I have been loyally reading your blog and have enjoyed what I THOUGHT was an unbiased opinion, based solely on facts. I’m not sure I can continue to read your reviews without thinking that you just might be providing positive review to companies that give you a kick-back. Please reassure me that this not the case!
i have a brown pigmit and want to get a lot lighter for something and i was asking what can work and doest this work….please write me back
They say Peter Thomas Roth works really well. I have never used it, but I took their ingredients and found out the % and made my own. It’s hydroquinone free. I used hydroquinone 4% for a year. On and off, the way it was prescribed. It was the only thing that worked for me. I used it with glycolic acid and Retin A. I now use the ingredients I mixed together to keep hyperpigmentation away. By the way, I have a medium olive skin tone.