HyperPigmentation 101: Review of Skin Brightening products

During the year with all the harsh weather and then just the wear and tear of life, I use products to remove dark spots from my face, to even out and scars or to just brighten my complexion.  There is nothing wrong with using any of these products...in moderation of course. I have used brightening, lightening and fading creams. Here are some favorites that I have used, and they work wonders and are in my skincare arsenal.

My first ever product I used to get rid of the dark marks on my cheeks is the Ambi Fade cream. I used it day and night for about 2 months and the marks went completely away. I put it only wear the marks where, just to make sure I wasn't accidentally lightening my whole face. It went on smoothly, I had no irritation and I used only a very small amount. This is a fade cream, not quiet bleaching, because for me with my experience with it, it took a while to fade the marks. You can find this in any drugstore or beauty store.

When I was Counter Manager for Fashion Fair I LOVED this product. Not only did it take away my summer darkness from me not wearing sunscreen (yes, I was rebelling way back then), but it did it within a couple of weeks. Very fast for me and my skin. I had a client that actually put it on her entire face for weeks and was wondering why her skin was getting lighter, she thought this was a moisturizer. Needless to say when she stopped using it, she said her color came back. But it took some time. SO please be careful with this product. I also use this for my knees and elbows, it does wonders let me tell you. This is a bleaching product and you will see results very quickly. Here is the link. The product packaging has changed since I first used it in 2006 http://shop.fashionfair.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=0030

THIS PRODUCT IS LIFE! At 25 I had moles removed from my face and neck, they were raised and it caused me pain on a daily basis. I was in NC at the time, and my dermatologist froze them off my face. I had very visible white spots on my face that made me uncomfortable. So when I went to work, I asked my coworker what would be good to heal my skin and try to bring the color back. When she gave me a sample to try, I was in shocked. This product you use 21 days every 3 or 4 months, to combat the change in weather, in climate, for seasons...whatever! After that 21 days me color was back, it was natural. I used it every night all over and it helped combat all those free radicals that attack us on a daily basis. You know city life is hard with all the smoke, fog, cars and god knows what else. but this product cuts down on all that and helps repair your skin. I use this every 3 months, and if I had to choose out of all the products listed here today, I would only use this. This helped bring my melanin back and repaired damage done by the free radicals in the air. Here is the link http://www.esteelauder.com/products/689/Product-Catalog/Skincare/By-Category/Repair-Serums

This set I finished using a few weeks ago. I actually have the night moisturizer and chemical peel left from the sample box, and I also used the sample brightening pads that came with it as well. This product is from Juice Beauty and it makes the claim to brighten and even out your skin tone. It did a decent job. I used the products for almost 30 days, that is how much usage I got from the products. Twice a day usage. The serum ran out first. My face did even out in skin tone so I was all one shade of chocolate, so I was pleased with that. It was not harsh, the peel tingled for a few but I had no negative reaction to any of these products. My favorites are the peel because its minimal, the serum and the brightening pads. The pads are really good and on days where the sun beats my sunscreen I used this to combat it. So those three are a repurchase for sure. These are brightening products and while I did like them, you can find something better, and probably a little cheaper. Here is the link https://www.juicebeauty.com/store/skin-care/collections/green-apple-age-defy.html

These two products from Mary Kay I really loved at first. The mask is a complexion fade mask and it is really cooling. I had a lot of darkness on my cheeks (where the contour is) so I applied this mask on that area only. When following it up with the serum it actually burned my face. At first I was like wow this is strong, first time using this after 10 years so I have to get I to it. I used it the next week and it burned again. I stopped using it and the mask the formula probably changed and my skin didn't like it. To be sure I only used the mask, and guess what, no burning sensation. Needless to say I don't use this product anymore since I can't get the full benefits of using the serum. For others it has worked out, so read the ingredients and test it to make sure you won't have a reaction. When I tested it on my wrist and arm nothing happened after 24 hr, but it was an immediate reaction on my face, so sometimes the rash test works, but for me this product was just way to strong. This is a fading product, so it will take a few weeks to see results based from the product description itself. Here is the link. The serum is sold separately

http://www.marykay.com/en-US/Skin-Care/Product/Mask/TimeWise-Even-Complexion-Mask/100721.partId?eCatId=10645

All these products have their pros and cons, but they do completely different things.

So this is what I would recommend:

Evening out skin tone - use a brightener

Spot treatments - fading creams

All over lightening - a bleaching cream. 

She you ladies and gents later :)