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Skin Whitening Treatments: Which one to choose?

Skin Whitening Treatments: Which one to choose?

All skin tones are beautiful, however, having a lighter skin tone is a desire that seems to transcend race. In fact, the origin of facials started with European noble women wanting to look paler than their natural skin tone. The assumption was that someone who has lighter skin has had less exposure to the environment and it hence signifies nobility. That kind of explains the why. Within their own race, people want to have lighter skin that is blemish free. It is somehow seen to signify better social hierarchy.

 

Given our modern sensibilities, we know that none of this is true and all skin tones are beautiful. However, just like many other choices enabled by modern science, our skin tone is also becoming one. There are certain options available that can help reverse years of tanning and pigmentation. Some treatments can also help in lightening the natural skin tone.

 

First, let’s talk about what is absolutely not safe. The most famous case of skin lightening has to be the king of pop. We spoke to a couple of dermatologists on our panel and we seemed to find a consensus that the treatment used in that case was a form of skin bleaching. We are not even naming the agent that may have been used because the dermatologists we also unanimous about the fact that the treatment cannot be considered safe. It is recommended in very rare cases, such as wide-spread vitiligo, to remove the minor pigmented areas that are left behind.

 

Now putting that aside, let us talk about the treatments that can actually be recommended and used. There are two major concerns when people are looking for skin lightening. One is to get rid of years of tanning that has led to darkening of the skin tone that we were born with. The other concern is not quite different from the 15th century concern of European nobility, to get a skin tone paler than what we were born with.

 

Once we have decided that we are looking for a lightening treatment, the next question which comes to mind is, can I do this at home? Are there and home remedies available? The simple answer is yes, there are some options available, but then they may not be able to provide the best possible results. Most home remedies will involve honey, bananas or lemon juice. They offer certain ingredients such as ascorbic acid and other vitamins which do act against pigmentation to a certain extent. The bioavailability however, is low. So, if you really want to see some significant change, visiting a good dermatologist is your only realistic option.

woman getting qswitch laser treatment for pigmentation & tanning

When it comes to pigmentation and tanning, there are mainly two kinds of clinical treatments that are chosen by dermatologists: Chemical peels and treatment with a specific laser. Chemical peels are acidic chemical agents that remove the top layer or layers of skin. In doing so, they take away the pigmented layers of skin with them, revealing a fresher, lower layer of skin. However, as can be understood, this works only on superficial pigmentation, although, yes, it does work well for de-tanning in most cases.

 

For more severe cases of hyperpigmentation, the laser treatment for pigmentation may be the ideal choice. Here, the Q-switch NdYAG laser targets pigment molecules in the skin and breaks them down. This works in most cases of pigmentation. However, to just remove tanning, the laser may be used in the form of the carbon facial where it is used along with liquid carbon. You can use the link to read more details.

 

Finally, in case you are looking at a change in natural skin tone and for lightening it, there is mostly one medication that can help you best. It is known as glutathione. Intravenous glutathione is therefore one of the most popular treatments for skin lightening. The treatment works as a strong anti-oxidant and also by altering the kind of melanin produced in the body. You can read all details by clicking the link. The rider however, is that this treatment is not a permanent solution. You require life-long maintenance treatments, although at much reduced frequency. Also, the risk profile for the treatment has to be cleared.

 

In conclusion, lightening your skin tone is now closer to being a personal choice.

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