Skin Lightening

SKIN LIGHTENING: CAN IT WORKS FOR ALL PIGMENT PROBLEMS?


By Retno Kuswantoro

Skin lightening cream

Skin lightening cream

Beauty is not just in getting fairer skin but you should have smooth texture of skin irrespective of skin color. A lot of us dream of flawless skin but the truth is that most people have pigment blemishes on their skin. The discolored small or large patches might be considered aesthetically unappealing and most people would like to get rid of these spots. Skin lightening helps get better appearance and boosts confidence.

Skin lightening agents act in specific manner to lighten the skin. Ingredients in skin lightening products inhibit the enzyme, tyrosinase, in the pigment cells, melanocytes. Melanocytes produce melanin. Because of its inhibition melanin didn’t produced. Melanin is the substance that gives color to your skin.

Various environmental like sun exposure, dietary, hereditary and age factors contribute towards the formation of these spots and blemishes. Some of the various names that refer to these blemishes are Melasma, hyper pigmentation, and freckles.

These spots or patches are because of accumulation of melanin. Skin renews itself after every 28 days. Action of skin lightening starts after the old skin cells are shed off. Then new skin cells containing less melanin come to the surface of skin. This skin layer of new cells is even smoother and fairer.

Using skin lightening products in routine along with proper skin care gives positive results and it will prevent skin from getting darker and skin aging. But not all the pigment problems can use the same treatment and you must be careful with chemicals in your skin lightening. We should know its cause. There are several ways to get rid of spots or patches of hyper pigmentation:

  1. Dark skin patches on the neck or inner thigh area and age spots can lighten with skin lightening. Once these spots or patches of dark skin have lightened, you will need to continue some sort of maintenance regimen and also using sunscreen. Once you stop using lighteners and protection, the dark patches will be back.
  2. Spots or patchy skin caused by trauma to the skin by insect bites, shaving, acne or repeated pressure to certain areas of skin can be lightened by a combination of the right peel or exfoliation and skin lightening agents.
  3. Melasma is hyperpigmentation of face, usually as a direct effect of certain steroid hormones. It occurs not only during pregnancy but also in 30-50% of women taking contraceptive pill.  After delivery or if you stop that pill, the spots will disappear.

Freckles or ephelides are flat brown spots. It first appears in young children, darken with ultraviolet exposure despite use of sunscreen, and fade with cessation of sun exposure (in the winter). In adults that spots gradually appear in sun exposed areas. For this condition ask your doctor, they may give you Tretinoin topically as skin lightening.


July 3, 2009  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Info

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