Skin Lightening Treatments

Providing you use the right skin lightening treatment, virtually all forms of skin pigmentation (also called skin discolouration) can be reversed back to your normal skin colour.

The trick is to find the right skin lightening treatment, something which is not always as easy as it sounds.

Some skin lightening treatments you may be able to get from your store or online (e.g. skin bleaching products), whilst others may require a doctor’s prescription or an appointment with a skin care specialist such as a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon (e.g. laser skin lightening).

Below you will find a list of ways to prevent and reverse skin pigmentation problems.

It is recommended that you start with the less expensive treatments or methods first, and then gradually move onto the more expensive skin lightening treatments if your earlier attempts at removing your skin pigmentation were not successful.

Birth Control Pills

Some women develop skin pigmentation problems after taking birth control pills for an extended period of time.

Fortunately in most cases stopping taking the pills will cause your skin pigmentation problems to disappear in a few months.

Sunscreen

One of the biggest causes of skin pigmentation is sun exposure. You can therefore avoid a large majority of pigmentation problems by wearing sunscreen or sunblock and limiting how much time you spend in the sun.

Photosensitive Skin

Some skin care products can make your skin much more vulnerable to the sun, which can then cause the skin to become pigmented in certain areas of the body.

Unfortunately it can be difficult to tell which skin care products are causing you a problem, so if you notice any unusual pigmentation on your skin that wasn’t there before, try using some different skin products and see if your pigmentation problems stop.

Skin Exfoliation

Whilst exfoliating your skin won’t lighten it, exfoliation can help to increase the effectiveness of skin lightening products.

A good technique is to first exfoliate your skin, or dry brush your skin, and then apply your skin lightening cream.

Herbal Skin Lighteners

Herbal skin lighteners can include various natural ingredients such as licorice, raspberry, bearberry, kiwi, mulberry and grape seed extract.

How effective herbal skin lighteners are at treating your skin pigmentation really depends on the extent of your discolouration.

Generally herbal skin lighteners are most effective for light pigmentation problems. If you have darker pigmented skin, you probably need something a bit stronger.

Concealer Make Up

Concealer make up, or camouflage concealer, will not reverse your skin pigmentation. It can however conceal it so others won’t notice your discoloured skin.

Concealer make up is most useful for people who have pigmentations problems on their face, or would like to conceal their skin pigmentation while they are treating it and waiting for it to go away.

Light Diffusing Foundation

Light diffusing foundation can help to reduce the appearance of your pigmented skin. Again this doesn’t reverse your pigmentation, but can be useful to conceal marks on your face.

Laser Skin Lightening

Laser skin resurfacing can either be very effective or not work at all. If you have pigmented skin ask to get a test patch done first to see if you will respond to the treatment, otherwise it will cost you a lot of money and you might not even get any results.

Azelaic Acid

Azelaic acid inhibits melanin production in the skin and is also effective against acne. Usually it will take several months before you start to see any results.

Retin-A

Retin-A can be an effective treatment for skin pigmentation problems, and works even better when combined with hydroquinone or azelaic acid.

If you opt for this treatment remember to protect your skin with sunscreen, otherwise it may revert back to its previous colour.

Skin Bleaching Cream

Skin bleaching creams (also called skin lightening cream) usually contain hydroquinone and inhibit the formation of new pigment in the skin.

It usually takes about 24 days to see a change, and most people see very good results. However if you expose your skin to the sun unprotected, your skin may get dark again.