Brightening Skin Care

Lighten Up!

Brightening Skin Care

 

I’ve seen my baby and childhood photographs, so I know for sure that I was not born with splotchy, spotted, uneven skin. In fact, I’ve never seen a baby with it, yet the majority of adults I pass on the street are plagued by it. What’s happening to our skin somewhere along the way?

Hyperpigmentation, the fancy word for those dark spots or blotches, is what’s happening, and the fact that it’s an epidemic explains the explosion of “brightening” skin care products. Brightening is a big buzzword on everything from cleansers and toners to day and night creams and even powders. But, do these luminosity-promising products really pack enough of a punch to do us any good?

First of all, understand that your spots– whether brown or red – signal that the skin has been damaged in some way. The cause of the spots, whether from the sun, hormones or acne, usually points to the best way to fade them and to prevent further damage.

Red spots are usually caused by inflammation from acne, which leaves a scar. Though they usually last well over a year, they will eventually fade as the skin naturally sheds and renews. Deeper scars, or indentations, from acne really only respond to aggressive treatment like lasers or collagen fillers. How to avoid them in the first place? Do as every aesthetician has always told you: never pick a blemish and leave the extractions to the pros.

Other types of spots are related to melanin rather than inflammation, develop from sun exposure or hormones, and need intervention rather than fading on their own. Melanin is the pigmentation within our skin that gives it color; when melanin-containing melanocytes inside the skin cells are exposed to UV light, they produce larger amounts of melanin, causing the skin to darken.

Brown spots, including freckles and sun spots, are those dark dots on the face, arms, hands, neck and chest that develop when normal cellular functions are changed by sun exposure. As pigment from years of sun exposure builds up, it darkens and forms a flat or raised spot. These spots usually stay on the surface of the skin, however, they can go deeper. If you’ve got a spot that’s medium brown or darker, and looks thick or raised, it’s best to have it investigated by a dermatologist. If it’s actinic keratoses, then it needs to be removed or treated to prevent the potential development of squamous cell cancer.

Meslasma is usually related to hormones, often caused by pregnancy, birth control pills, menopause and anything else that affects your hormone levels. It causes brown or dark large, mask-like patches on the forehead, nose and cheeks and can be limited to the surface of the skin or lie deep within the dermis. It can be more challenging to treat than sun spots unless or until the hormones are back in balance.

What to Try:

Though using every brightening product you can get your hands on probably won’t hurt, I’m not convinced of the value of those that are washed down the drain, like cleansers and scrubs. Put your money into products that sit on your skin for an extended time, either with or without hydroquinone, which is considered the lightening leader but isn’t for everyone.

Hydroquinone Lightening:

Hydroquinone decreases the melanin (pigment) production of melanocytes. The good news is that hydroquinone is considered to be quite effective if your case is on the mild side; the bad news is that it takes some patience to see results, sometimes six weeks to several months. You can try an over-the-counter bleaching cream with 2% hydroquinone, such as Glytone Fading Lotion ($36; www.glytone.com), which also contains kojic acid and glycolic acid and can be used morning and night for round-the-clock anti-pigment power. For tougher cases, your dermatologist may prescribe a 4% hydroquinone cream to treat spots from acne, mild melasma and sun spots.

Non-Hydroquinone Lightening:

Gentle, over-the-counter ingredients take some time to show results (think months here, not weeks) but popular ones like licorice extract and kojic acid help block melanin production and are great used in conjunction with an effective exfoliant such as glycolic acid to slough off the old skin. A serum or cream that either contains SPF or can be followed by it should be used daily. Two of my favorites are SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF ($150; www.skinceuticals.com), which corrects existing photodamage and inhibits UV-induced pigmentation with a breakthrough formula containing phloretin, a pigment-regulating antioxidant, and Kiehl’s Brightening Botanical Spot Treatment ($50; www.kiehls.com), which uses ellagic acid to lighten freckles and sunspots but can be used all over the face for a bright, even-toned complexion.

Definitely invest in a brightening night treatment. Without worrying about having to battle the sun’s counter-effects, these products can work their hardest while you sleep. A pricey but effective night balm, Beauty by Ivo Pitanguy PREVIOUS Lightening Serum ($200; wwwneimanmarcus.com), fights existing spots and prevent new ones with the brand’s unique centella asiatica plant extract, a super-firming tripeptide, vitamin E and extracts of blackberry and licorice. Another effective and more budget-friendly choice is Dermalogica ChromaWhite TRx Pure Night ($75; www.dermalogica.com), which brightens while you sleep with white tea extract and other melanin-fighting ingredients to prevent new spots as well as minimize those you already have.

If your wallet allows, more aggressive facial treatments like chemical peels and microdermabrasion are on the menu at many spas and can give you noticeable results much faster. Both exfoliate the top layer of skin, removing surface discolorations including spots. You’ll likely see an improvement in your skin after just one peel or microderm treatment, but more dramatic results will take at least two to six.

Remember, you could have spectacular results with any of the above treatments and still render them useless if you don’t use a broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen every single day of the year, without fail. With a bit of sunlight, those vanishing spots will reappear right before your eyes.