Skin
Bleaching Lightening Whitening Products
These informations are recommended by toutmontreal.tripod.com
Official
distributor of the Drula products in North America.
For black and asian women/men aspiring to be lighter
skinned.
Taking
the time to read about skin discoloration and how
to bleach.
Light
skin products provide a desirable look. In many areas
in the world, the lighter your skin is, the more beautiful
you are considered. You can reach this objective without
surgery. A skin bleaching cream (or a bleaching gel)
helps everyone who wants a smooth even skin tone.
Skin problems like spots, discoloration and hyperpygmentation
are an important issue for dermatologists. But bleaching
and whitening products are complexe and it may be
hard for people to choose what they really need for
durable and safe results. You have to consider first
if you already had an acne problem, bug bites, skin
trauma, sun damages or hormonal problems (melasma).
Ask a dermatologist.
The
basics : According to dermatologists, bleaches should
be applied only on dark spots. The, you have to select
areas that are well defined to bleach. If you don't
exactly know what to choose, maybe you should begin
a light skin brightener. For different reasons, a
skin brightener is safer to use in widespread areas.
They are typically based upon botanical ingredients.
You
must avoid appyling the active bleaching agent to
normal surrounding skin because a continued use of
your skin bleaching cream may slow lighten your normal
skin tone. More, bleaching period must be stopped
isntantly when you achieve the desired effect. If
you don't stop the treatment, you might get areas
of your skin lighter than others.
During
the treatment, sun protection is a crucial point because
it darkens your skin. A sunscreen with at least a
SPF of 15 is enough to proteck your bleaching skin.
But clothing and hat protection is always the best
way to protect your skin from UVA and UVB dangerous
rays. Remember : no sunscreen = no improvement. Keep
the sun away during the bleaching process.
How
does it work? Bleaching helps maintain skin health
by removing suntan. It is painless and starts producing
instant results. You can use it safely at home. Here
are the particular recommendation for use : test for
sensitivity before applying; never apply after a hot
bath; use the mixture within 30 minutes of preparation
(otherwise the effectiveness will wear off); do not
apply on cuts or abrasions, moles, burns or make-up
(to prevent burning sensations or to developp an irritation);
wait 24 hours before applying an astringent; do not
use metal dishes of spoons for preparing the mixture
(as they can cause chemical reactions in the ingredients;
use for 15 minutes, if fair complexioned and 25-30
minutes, if dark complexioned; use once in 15 days
as the lightening effect may not last too long (as
the skin is a living tissue, melanin is produced continuously);
keep containers tightly after use; always store the
kit in a cool, dry and dark place away from excessive
heat (since this could reduce its effectiveness).
Common
myths about skin bleaching
1.Lightens
hair colour permanently: Cream bleach lightens colour
of the hair above the skin's surface and does not
affect the roots.The new hair will remain its natural
colour.
2.Bleaching Makes Hair Darker: Bleaching, or the chemicals
in it, do not cause the hair to grow darker.The change
in hair colour may take place due to factors such
as medication; environmental factors such as the sun;
and biological factors such as ageing, pregnancy,
menopause, etc.Bleaching does not thicken hair growth.
3.Increases Hair Growth: In some cases, hydrogen stimulate
the hair follicle, thereby causing hair to grow faster
temporarily.But this is only a one-time stimulation
and does not promote sustained growth.
4.Causes Skin Irritation: Since bleaching is an exothermic
(gives out heat)reaction, it may cause the skin to
appear flushed.However, this is temporary and fades
away in an hour or two.Irritation may be caused due
to:
a.Ultra sensitive skin.
b.Allergic reactions.
c.Interaction with other cosmetic products.
d.A pre-existing skin condition.
e.Improper mixing of creams(cream bleach).
Application of ice or aloevera based creams will make
irritation disappear fast.
5.Is Harmful To The Skin: Repeated use of bleach is
safe and good for the skin, as it cleans and makes
the skin breathe easier, besides camouflaging hair
to match the skin colour.
Stop
Skin Abuse
PIH
is the result of irritation or inflammation of the
skin. Whatever the cream, gel or lotion is, if it
is irritating and you are prone to skin discoloration,
get rid of it unless it’s a prescription agent
you just cannot live without for your particular skin
disease. Ask for patch testing if you are continually
getting irritated to every cream known to man (or
woman!) and have a history of overly sensitive skin.
You may learn you have a secret allergy to an ingredient
that is very easy to avoid.
Fix It
Do
you have a skin problem such as acne that leaves you
with skin discoloration? Stop the vicious cycle and
treat the acne, not just the skin discoloration. Many
times, I have patients see me with obvious skin diseases
that cause the color changes and they seem tuned in
only to the skin color changes. I usually try to resolve
the rash before I start treating the skin discoloration.
Remember, the bleaching is going to take many months
or more. If the rash keeps on going, so too will the
bleaching process.
So
What Regimen Is Right For Me?
Apply
your AHA, Vitamin C, Renova, Kinerase or Azelex to
the general areas of the face and then apply your
bleach only to the dark spots. Apply sunscreen. Try
to wait 20 minutes between the application of your
helper creams and your active bleach in order to minimize
potential irritation if possible. If you experience
irritation from layering, apply your products separately
during the day, even if you end up with an every other
day use of some of the products. Irritation may lead
to more skin discoloration. Better to draw out the
bleaching process a little.
Bleaching is NOT a fast process. The darker the area
is compared to your natural skin tone, the longer
it can take. Estimate approximately 6-12 months, depending
upon the differences in tone.
A
Word On Obaji
Obagi
is a process used to help treat skin discoloration
that basically incorporates office treatments consisting
of a series of TCA (Trichloracetic Acid) peels (they
call it a "blue peel") and home therapy
with generic versions of 4% Hydroquinone and tretinoin,
(the active ingredients in products such as Melanex
and Retin A, respectively). TCA can be irritating
and cause some further skin discoloration, so do have
a serious discussion with your dermatologist or plastic
surgeon particularly if you have a darker baseline
skin tone before undergoing these peels. As you can
see, the home therapy consists of some of the cornerstones
of prescription therapy. These 2 agents, despite being
generic, are only available by prescription.
Common
Questions:
What do I do for underarm discoloration?
Underarm
discoloration can come from a wide variety of causes
including chronic friction and irritation to your
deodorant. Consider switching to a hypoallergenic
deodorant such as DERMAdoctor Total NonScents Ultra-Gentle
Brightening Antiperspirant. Due to the thinner skin
in this area as well as the potential for irritation
here, you may want to ask your doctor about prescription
cream based bleaches. While Glyquin contains higher
levels of glycolic acid, it is sodium metabisulfite
free which is a known skin irritant. Sometimes patients
with underarm irritation may be patch tested to see
if they have sensitivities to other product ingredients.
I have melasma, must I go off the pill?
The
short answer is NO. While it is true that an external
source of estrogen (such as in BCPs) may contribute
to the formation of melasma, (aka mask of pregnancy),
it doesn’t mean you cannot effectively bleach
your skin discoloration while staying on the pill.
However, if your BCP is contributing to your melasma,
you want to stay on some form of maintenance therapy
once you have achieved your desired skin bleaching
results. This is going to include daily sunscreen
and perhaps the use of one or more of the following:
a topical Vitamin A product such as Retin A/Renova/Afirm,
etc., glycolic acid or vitamin C. Many melasma sufferers
may find that if they do not continue some form of
active bleaching, their melasma will return (BCP use
or not). I find that the use of a skin brightener
such as Peter Thomas Roth Potent Botanical Skin Brightening
Gel Complex is very helpful to start once your skin
bleaching process has been completed. Also, if you
do see your melasma returning, get back onto your
active bleach sooner than later. There is no need
to be down another year in treatment if you can possibly
avoid it!
How do I bleach red/purple acne “scars”?
Red
or purple spots do not make for a diagnosis of a scar
which means you stand a good chance of Mother Nature
naturally fading them out over time. Nor do red/purple
spots contain melanin pigment so they are not going
to respond to a “true” bleaching agent,
i.e. one that contains hydroquinone, etc. Go for something
like Mederma, wear your sunscreen (oil-free if acne
prone) and make sure your acne or other skin rash
is under control. See a dermatologist if you have
to in order to get the condition under control or
else you’ll be playing “catch-up”
forever with your skin discoloration.
Will the use of a self tanner make the skin discoloration
less noticeable?
Unfortunately,
self tanners stain the skin and make whatever they
are applied to darker whether normal skin tone, abnormal
discoloration, moles, etc. If you are artistic, you
may find a way to apply a self tanner around the abnormal
color, helping lessen the appearance of the discoloration.
Better yet, consider applying a concealer such as
T. LeClerc Professional Concealer - Clair 02 (or in
the shade that matches your skin) to the dark spots
before applying your foundation. It will help make
them far less noticeable.
Please
note : Drula Fabrik does not endorse the content of
this article. only several informations provided by
toutmontreal.tripod.com. |