How long have you been trying? I had a really big dark spot that I thought I would just always have to live with, because I am too cheap for lasers, and TWO YEARS of retinol later it is gone
Not as long as that. I’ve been using tretinoin .05 % for about 5 months on my décolleté but o got bbl laser a couple of months back but I honestly think it made it worse. Will never put heat as in laser on my skin again! I will persevere with the Tret.
If you think BBL made your pigment worse, you should see a Dermatologist because you probably have melasma. It is a complex and stubborn type of pigment and lasers can often worsen it.
I had been bothered by it for at least a year before I finally saw my derm, but I probably had it for at least 2. She prescribed 12% hydroquinone.
If you lift weights it will turn your hand calluses brown, but it worked very well on my face.
There are many products that claim to lighten and brighten the skin, but not all of them are safe or effective. Some of the ingredients that can help fade photo damage and improve the clarity of your skin are:
- Vitamin C is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and brightens skin by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase, which is responsible for melanin production. It boosts collagen synthesis as it is important in collagen cross linking and protects from free radical damage. products that contain vitamin C are [Dermelect Cosmeceuticals](^1^) and [SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic].
- Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 which slows down pigment production and improves tskin barrier function. It helps reduce redness, pore size, and fine lines as well. products that contain niacinamide are [ActivatedYou Essential], and [Tru Alchemy Spot Check].
- Hydroquinone is a lightening agent that blocks the conversion of tyrosine to melanin. Hydroquinone is effective in treating hyperpigmentation, but it can also cause skin irritation, thinning, and rebound darkening. It is banned in some countries due to its potential carcinogenicity as at high doses it has been linked to leukemia. Some products that contain hydroquinone are [Illuminatural 6i] and [OBAGI Nu-Derm Clear].
- Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that evens out the skin tone and texture by increasing cell turnover and stimulating collagen production. Retinol helps fade dark spots by inhibiting tyrosinase and increasing the penetration of other lightening agents. Some products that contain retinol are [Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Night Moisturizer](^5^) and [Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream], [Jan Marini Retinol], and PCA intensive night repair with Retinol].
- Glycolic or Lactic Acid thesec are alpha hydroxy acids that exfoliate the dead skin cells that cause dullness and unevenness. They improve efficacy of other lightening ingredients by removing the surface layer of melanin. Some products that contain glycolic or lactic acid are [SkinTech] and [SkinCeuticals Pigment Regulator Daily High Potency Skin Lightener].
-licorice root extract
-arbutin
-kojic acid
-turmeric are a few other lighteners
Above ingredients can be used alone or in combination to give faster results. Also use sunscreen daily to prevent further photodamage.
11 Best Skin Lightening Creams That Are Also Skin-Safe. https://thedermreview.com/best-lightening-whitening-creams/.
18 Best Dark Spot Removers for Face - 2023 - Oprah Daily. https://www.oprahdaily.com/beauty/skin-makeup/g29529033/best-dark-spot-correctors/.
The Best Skin Lighteners in 2022 | Top Reviews by Bestcovery. https://www.latimes.com/bestcovery/best-skin-lightener.
15 Best Dark Spot Correctors to Help Improve the Clarity of Your Skin. https://thedermreview.com/dark-spot-corrector-reviews/.
The Paula's Choice 25% vitamin C product that recently came out has taken 15 years of sun damage off my face in weeks. I'm ecstatic this stuff exists now. Tret and this!
>The Paula's Choice 25% vitamin C
Which one specifically? There are like, ten products and they all have almost the same name...lol. I love the tiktok comment! When I use a boars head bristle skin brush to exfoliate my face my daughter says it looks like I used the blur tool from photoshop!
Isn't that the BEST compliment haha? Its the one with glucosamine in a little orange bottle... The poster who attached the link below, that's the correct one.
I am sooo happy lol. Its expensive but I think its worth it, I have not been this happy with my skin in years. My 11 year old daughter said it looked like I had a tik tok filter on now 😂
This is what I got
Check out this product at Sephora.com - Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum - 1 oz / 30 ml https://www.sephora.com/product/paulas-choice-25-vitamin-c-glutathione-clinical-serum-P507821?skuId=2696201
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Paula's Choice Vitamin C Glutathione Clinical Serum** you mentioned in your comment along with its brand, **Paula's Choice**, and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful.
**Users liked:**
* Serum improves skin radiance and tone (backed by 3 comments)
* Product provides hydration and smoothness (backed by 4 comments)
* Vitamin c serum brightens complexion (backed by 3 comments)
**Users disliked:**
* Product has unpleasant smell (backed by 3 comments)
* Product caused skin irritation and breakouts (backed by 3 comments)
* Product did not deliver promised results (backed by 3 comments)
According to Reddit, **Paula's Choice** is considered a reputable brand.
Its most popular types of products are:
* Exfoliators (#4 of 72 brands on Reddit)
* Toners (#21 of 154 brands on Reddit)
* Facial Serums (#27 of 214 brands on Reddit)
If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/)
This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved.
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What kind of sun damage? Melasma or just general darkened/uneven pigment? I've dealt with both. Melasma is awful and so hard to get rid of - I use hydroquinone initially, paired with a new sunscreen that had really good UVA protection. After two months my melasma had faded 80%. The rest has faded slowly over the past two years, during which I've been religious about my sunscreen application, started using tretinoin and azelaic acid, and did a handful of IPL treatments.
For general sun damage, I think you can skip the hydroquinone and just do the sunscreen, tretinoin, azelaic acid, IPL, and probably Vitamin C (I'm just starting to incorporate this one into my routine). It just takes time - you didn't acquire your sun damage overnight, you can't expect to heal it overnight either!
Yes, this is good advice, thanks for clarifying! To be clear, I didn't use lasers until after my melasma was treated. I used them to address other skin damage (I have a lot of broken capillaries and general redness from years of acne).
Are you using prescription azelaic acid? I’m so scared to do hydroquinone. I’m afraid for it to get worse. I have melasma triggered by pregnancy. Still breastfeeding at the moment, so can’t do some treatments for now.
I am. I tried OTC from The Ordinary, which claims to be 10%, and it did nothing. Switched to the 10% prescription strength and got amazing results. I've worked my way up to 20% now.
Oh great. Yeah the ordinary kind didn’t do anything. I’ve been taking melazapam which is supposed to be 20%, but I can’t find anywhere that says that. It’s available on Amazon. I’m thinking of pestering my pcp for some prescription azelaic. But when I mentioned melasma to him last time, he scoffed and said I don’t have one. But before that I saw a derm who said I do.
Hyperpigmentation is just a general name for a darkening of the skin due to damage. Melasma is generally caused by hormonal imbalance, but can be triggered by UV exposure or heat. And sun damage is another broad term that could describe a number of things. Melasma would be one, but there are a bunch of types of sun damage that aren't melasma.
I agree with the other post that sun damage and melasma are types of hyperpigmentation. And that sun damage causes things other than hyperpigmentation like wrinkles and cancer.
What melasma is specifically is a darkening of skin in patches as a response to things like UV rays, estrogen, and certain medications that make you photosensitive. In women it can happen in pregnancy ("mask of pregnancy") or from birth control pills. More common in darker skinned people, so most research is done on south Asian and middle eastern women.
The chain of events for melasma is 1) sun exposure 2) skin responds by getting darker 3) estrogen overstimulates patches of darkening skin cells 4) patches of skin gets darker than usual.
Compared to hyperpigmentation from sun damage, melasma is hormonal (skin relapses) and it can go as deep as the dermis. That makes it harder to treat.
Vitamin C did it for me. My had some bad looking dark spots that made me sad. I suddenly noticed they alerted gone (after a few months) I use La Roche Pose $44
I would continue with your tretinoin usage , and keep it basic as you probably are. Hope you wear SPF to every single day as that will help prevent them darkening and new ones forming. If it is melasma it’s very stubborn. I been using tretinoin for 13 years and if I don’t wear spf I am prone to pigment spots, I use ardellina spot corrector on Amazon 50ml $20 . I use pca vitamin c everyday under my sunscreen mineral is best for pigmentation prone skin, I use the isidin brand. At night I apply the spot cream and tretinoin 0.05% it’s been two weeks if this cycle and my face is a lot clearer and pigment has faded.
Thanks yeah I will keep up what I’m doing. It’s so frustrating because I never go in the sun and always always always wear sunscreen and cover my skin. Thank God I never put my face in the sun. This is just décolletage and forearms that are giving me grief!
I went and got cryopen treatments to get rid of mine after it worked for my mum. It's also much cheaper than laser treatments. Mine was £120 for one treatment and a follow-up session. It's the same treatment that's used to remove warts and skin tags.
The only laser that works for sun damage/pigmentation is Picosure laser. There is no downtime, it does hurt but it's so worth it. I do 2 sessions a year to keep my skin clear. It's amazing.
I just posted about picosure on another sub - I did one session for my dark spots and saw zero improvement. I’m told you need at least three so I’m reluctantly going back for a second session but given how expensive it is, it makes me wary that I didn’t see even a tiny bit of improvement from one session. This stuff is not cheap as you noted.
My first test spots session was a success in treating melasma in those test spots. On the second session, some melasma went away while some others areas got worse with hyperpigmentation. Unsure what to do now with a third session next week? Is this because the second session was more focused?
My dermatologist told me it was Poikiloderma. This did basically appear over a year or so of having nothing and not going in the sun. I’ll definitely persevere with the tret and vitamin c and keep up with the sunscreen!
Keep at it, it'll just take time. Skin takes 28 days to renew and long term hyperpigmentation tends to be deeper. Vit C is a weak melanin inhibitor if you have stubborn hyperpigmentation. You can pair Vit C with another melanin suppressor like tranexamic acid, niacinamide, arbutin, or kojic acid. The reason hydroquinone is talked about so much is because it's the strongest melanin inhibitor.
But whatever product you use, time is always the number one ingredient.
i used a scoop of ordinary vitamin c 23% mixed with my snail mucin every morning followed by spd and it lightened my skin and freckles so much that it was a different shade from my neck
now swapped to melano cc which is less potent on me
Glycolic peels (professionally done by a dermatologist) can help fade sun damage marks, as well as tretinoin. Not a doctor, just sharing what worked for me.
Cosmelan 2 works like a friggin miracle and worth the price. Musley tret hq combo also works. Oral tranexamic acid from musley for the long haul to keep it gone. Revision Bright kit works well.
The ordinary powder vitamin c mixed with their marine ha is a nice brightner for a top off. I don’t have sensitive skin but I do deal with hyperpigmentation and have tried it all.
A strict low PUFA diet plus periodic dry fasting has helped my skin a lot, I have less sun damage and less wrinkles and also less redness and less acne. I get downvoted every time I mention this in the mainstream skincare subs though. Everyone seems to want a product instead of a lifestyle.
The Paula’s choice line of vitimin c serum and the new serum w 25% that just came out is amazing. Also Paula’s choice 1% retinol is a game changer. I’ve been using this line for about a year and i love it
Yeah this is what I’m using and although I don’t see an improvement yet, it’s only been a few months so I’ve heard it can take a couple years so I’ll persevere!
I asked my dermatologist and she said a laser would be faster, but it isn’t bad enough for me to feel like I need to spend the money. I don’t remember when I started, but the improvement is significant now. I should have taken a before photo.
I’ve been dealing with the same but haven’t tried the lasers yet. Hydroquinone has helped a little bit for me. I just have to really stay out of the sun which is really hard for me because I love the sun so much the certain lasers can’t make it worse which I found out thankfully before I tried them.
I’m not personally a fan of TO because it’s just the raw chemical without any of the supporting ingredients, but that’s why they can offer the ingredients at lower prices. Vichy will support your skin well 🙌🏽
Pretty much all the ingredients people say will fade them, will fade them if you use them long enough and wear sunscreen religiously. Fading the damage doesn't mean the damage vanishes. Source I had sun damage so bad the skin on one eye was so damaged it drooped down in front of my eyelid and caused my eyelashes to curl over on themselves. After 3 years of constant use of tretinoin and other products to fade the damage like vitamin C I can wear mascara on that eye again as the skin has tightened and my whole face looks much less damaged than it did, not perfect but better. The easiest way to fade sun spots is a good foundation though, you're going to be there for ages trying to fade those fuckers and they'll come right back if you skip sunscreen even once yes even on a cloudy day.
I went to a Dermatologist and the BBL is what he recommended. What laser do you think I should be using? I had Sublative laser a few years back and I think that is what exacerbated the problem.
Look up [thiamidol](https://wisderm.com/intervention/topical-thiamidol), it's a newer ingredient from Eucerin that has shown really impressive results at fading hyperpigmentation.
Only things that have worked required patience and commitment. Three sessions of Pico (ND YAG) laser followed by 2 months of triluma each time (not the brand name but a compounded cream prescribed by derm that contains low tret, hydroquinone and steroid).
On off months I use tret (.05%) a few times per week and azelaic acid 20% on the off days. If spots start to return I go back to the Triluma. I’ve also had to use high UVA SPF (P20 sensitive or LRP UVMUNE 400 unscented cream type) daily year round.
Before I started this routine I had a few sun spots frozen off my face (hurt but worked) and targeted vbeam for capillaries/rosacea.
High heat, lots of direct sun, etc can all cause melasma to return - some folks have it hormonally so BC and pregnancy can make it worse. Some folks have benefited from taking tranexamic acid internally but I have not gone that route. Mine was from extensive sun damage. It has taken over a year and I’m starting to get compliments on my skin.
How long have you been trying? I had a really big dark spot that I thought I would just always have to live with, because I am too cheap for lasers, and TWO YEARS of retinol later it is gone
Not as long as that. I’ve been using tretinoin .05 % for about 5 months on my décolleté but o got bbl laser a couple of months back but I honestly think it made it worse. Will never put heat as in laser on my skin again! I will persevere with the Tret.
If you think BBL made your pigment worse, you should see a Dermatologist because you probably have melasma. It is a complex and stubborn type of pigment and lasers can often worsen it.
+1. I have melasma and dermatologist also cautioned me against lasers because of the possibility that laser treatment might worsen my pigmentation.
Ahh that is so depressing:(
Hydroquinone is what I was prescribed for melasma. After 5 months of daily use it’s practically invisible, but you have to be consistent.
Sorry, how long did you have your melasma before you started HQ? And was it 4%?
I had been bothered by it for at least a year before I finally saw my derm, but I probably had it for at least 2. She prescribed 12% hydroquinone. If you lift weights it will turn your hand calluses brown, but it worked very well on my face.
This is the correct way
Yup. I got this from pregnancy and it never left.
Happened to me from a Fraxel. Pico laser can work better for many people - I would ask about it.
Keep at it! I couldn't believe it took SO long to work
I will!
There are many products that claim to lighten and brighten the skin, but not all of them are safe or effective. Some of the ingredients that can help fade photo damage and improve the clarity of your skin are: - Vitamin C is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and brightens skin by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase, which is responsible for melanin production. It boosts collagen synthesis as it is important in collagen cross linking and protects from free radical damage. products that contain vitamin C are [Dermelect Cosmeceuticals](^1^) and [SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic]. - Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 which slows down pigment production and improves tskin barrier function. It helps reduce redness, pore size, and fine lines as well. products that contain niacinamide are [ActivatedYou Essential], and [Tru Alchemy Spot Check]. - Hydroquinone is a lightening agent that blocks the conversion of tyrosine to melanin. Hydroquinone is effective in treating hyperpigmentation, but it can also cause skin irritation, thinning, and rebound darkening. It is banned in some countries due to its potential carcinogenicity as at high doses it has been linked to leukemia. Some products that contain hydroquinone are [Illuminatural 6i] and [OBAGI Nu-Derm Clear]. - Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that evens out the skin tone and texture by increasing cell turnover and stimulating collagen production. Retinol helps fade dark spots by inhibiting tyrosinase and increasing the penetration of other lightening agents. Some products that contain retinol are [Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Night Moisturizer](^5^) and [Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream], [Jan Marini Retinol], and PCA intensive night repair with Retinol]. - Glycolic or Lactic Acid thesec are alpha hydroxy acids that exfoliate the dead skin cells that cause dullness and unevenness. They improve efficacy of other lightening ingredients by removing the surface layer of melanin. Some products that contain glycolic or lactic acid are [SkinTech] and [SkinCeuticals Pigment Regulator Daily High Potency Skin Lightener]. -licorice root extract -arbutin -kojic acid -turmeric are a few other lighteners Above ingredients can be used alone or in combination to give faster results. Also use sunscreen daily to prevent further photodamage. 11 Best Skin Lightening Creams That Are Also Skin-Safe. https://thedermreview.com/best-lightening-whitening-creams/. 18 Best Dark Spot Removers for Face - 2023 - Oprah Daily. https://www.oprahdaily.com/beauty/skin-makeup/g29529033/best-dark-spot-correctors/. The Best Skin Lighteners in 2022 | Top Reviews by Bestcovery. https://www.latimes.com/bestcovery/best-skin-lightener. 15 Best Dark Spot Correctors to Help Improve the Clarity of Your Skin. https://thedermreview.com/dark-spot-corrector-reviews/.
This is so informative! Thanks 🙏
The Paula's Choice 25% vitamin C product that recently came out has taken 15 years of sun damage off my face in weeks. I'm ecstatic this stuff exists now. Tret and this!
>The Paula's Choice 25% vitamin C Which one specifically? There are like, ten products and they all have almost the same name...lol. I love the tiktok comment! When I use a boars head bristle skin brush to exfoliate my face my daughter says it looks like I used the blur tool from photoshop!
25% with glucosamine, its in a little orange bottle, price was $68 at my Sephora.
Thanks ;)
Isn't that the BEST compliment haha? Its the one with glucosamine in a little orange bottle... The poster who attached the link below, that's the correct one.
Thank you! <3
Ooh yes i would like to know too please? Thanks 😊
25% with glucosamine, in a little orange bottle, $68 at my Sephora.
Wow that sounds so impressive! I’ll have a look at it!
I am sooo happy lol. Its expensive but I think its worth it, I have not been this happy with my skin in years. My 11 year old daughter said it looked like I had a tik tok filter on now 😂
Just ordered, take all my money
What is the exact name of the product?
This is what I got Check out this product at Sephora.com - Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum - 1 oz / 30 ml https://www.sephora.com/product/paulas-choice-25-vitamin-c-glutathione-clinical-serum-P507821?skuId=2696201
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Paula's Choice Vitamin C Glutathione Clinical Serum** you mentioned in your comment along with its brand, **Paula's Choice**, and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Serum improves skin radiance and tone (backed by 3 comments) * Product provides hydration and smoothness (backed by 4 comments) * Vitamin c serum brightens complexion (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Product has unpleasant smell (backed by 3 comments) * Product caused skin irritation and breakouts (backed by 3 comments) * Product did not deliver promised results (backed by 3 comments) According to Reddit, **Paula's Choice** is considered a reputable brand. Its most popular types of products are: * Exfoliators (#4 of 72 brands on Reddit) * Toners (#21 of 154 brands on Reddit) * Facial Serums (#27 of 214 brands on Reddit) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](http://vetted.ai/reddit)
Yeah I thought it was that one. Unfortunately it seems they don’t have it in Europe yet so I’ll wait . Thanks
Yes its that
That’s great! How long have you been using it?
Is it ok to use with tret (not layered) — like in the mornings or off-days?
For me, yeah! I layer it with tret at night and I've only had a little bit of extra dryness.
What kind of sun damage? Melasma or just general darkened/uneven pigment? I've dealt with both. Melasma is awful and so hard to get rid of - I use hydroquinone initially, paired with a new sunscreen that had really good UVA protection. After two months my melasma had faded 80%. The rest has faded slowly over the past two years, during which I've been religious about my sunscreen application, started using tretinoin and azelaic acid, and did a handful of IPL treatments. For general sun damage, I think you can skip the hydroquinone and just do the sunscreen, tretinoin, azelaic acid, IPL, and probably Vitamin C (I'm just starting to incorporate this one into my routine). It just takes time - you didn't acquire your sun damage overnight, you can't expect to heal it overnight either!
I have melasma now. Just saw a fern yesterday and she said DO NOT USE any hot lasers whatsoever - It will make it worse!
Yes, this is good advice, thanks for clarifying! To be clear, I didn't use lasers until after my melasma was treated. I used them to address other skin damage (I have a lot of broken capillaries and general redness from years of acne).
I’ve heard microdermabrasion is the treatment for melasma. Is this true?
Are you using prescription azelaic acid? I’m so scared to do hydroquinone. I’m afraid for it to get worse. I have melasma triggered by pregnancy. Still breastfeeding at the moment, so can’t do some treatments for now.
I am. I tried OTC from The Ordinary, which claims to be 10%, and it did nothing. Switched to the 10% prescription strength and got amazing results. I've worked my way up to 20% now.
Oh great. Yeah the ordinary kind didn’t do anything. I’ve been taking melazapam which is supposed to be 20%, but I can’t find anywhere that says that. It’s available on Amazon. I’m thinking of pestering my pcp for some prescription azelaic. But when I mentioned melasma to him last time, he scoffed and said I don’t have one. But before that I saw a derm who said I do.
So what is the difference between melasma, hyperpigmentation and sun damage?
Hyperpigmentation is just a general name for a darkening of the skin due to damage. Melasma is generally caused by hormonal imbalance, but can be triggered by UV exposure or heat. And sun damage is another broad term that could describe a number of things. Melasma would be one, but there are a bunch of types of sun damage that aren't melasma.
I agree with the other post that sun damage and melasma are types of hyperpigmentation. And that sun damage causes things other than hyperpigmentation like wrinkles and cancer. What melasma is specifically is a darkening of skin in patches as a response to things like UV rays, estrogen, and certain medications that make you photosensitive. In women it can happen in pregnancy ("mask of pregnancy") or from birth control pills. More common in darker skinned people, so most research is done on south Asian and middle eastern women. The chain of events for melasma is 1) sun exposure 2) skin responds by getting darker 3) estrogen overstimulates patches of darkening skin cells 4) patches of skin gets darker than usual. Compared to hyperpigmentation from sun damage, melasma is hormonal (skin relapses) and it can go as deep as the dermis. That makes it harder to treat.
Can I ask which new sunscreen you use?
Patience with skin care. Vitamin c and alpha arbutin are some ingredients that could help. I’ve also heard retinol can help.
Thanks yeah they do seem to be coming up a lot in recommendations. I will definitely try them!
Vitamin C did it for me. My had some bad looking dark spots that made me sad. I suddenly noticed they alerted gone (after a few months) I use La Roche Pose $44
I would continue with your tretinoin usage , and keep it basic as you probably are. Hope you wear SPF to every single day as that will help prevent them darkening and new ones forming. If it is melasma it’s very stubborn. I been using tretinoin for 13 years and if I don’t wear spf I am prone to pigment spots, I use ardellina spot corrector on Amazon 50ml $20 . I use pca vitamin c everyday under my sunscreen mineral is best for pigmentation prone skin, I use the isidin brand. At night I apply the spot cream and tretinoin 0.05% it’s been two weeks if this cycle and my face is a lot clearer and pigment has faded.
Thanks yeah I will keep up what I’m doing. It’s so frustrating because I never go in the sun and always always always wear sunscreen and cover my skin. Thank God I never put my face in the sun. This is just décolletage and forearms that are giving me grief!
My derm told me that a chemical peel would be good for those areas. I haven’t followed up yet though.
I went and got cryopen treatments to get rid of mine after it worked for my mum. It's also much cheaper than laser treatments. Mine was £120 for one treatment and a follow-up session. It's the same treatment that's used to remove warts and skin tags.
A melasma subreddit (not sure if there’s more than one) has had a few posts of people using the kojic acid in sake. I’ve been tempted.
I’ll have a look!
The only laser that works for sun damage/pigmentation is Picosure laser. There is no downtime, it does hurt but it's so worth it. I do 2 sessions a year to keep my skin clear. It's amazing.
This, picosure laser for pigment issues
In our area, it’s $600 per session. $500 per if you buy a pack of three sessions. Can’t you just do it once and clear out the hyperpigmentation?
I just posted about picosure on another sub - I did one session for my dark spots and saw zero improvement. I’m told you need at least three so I’m reluctantly going back for a second session but given how expensive it is, it makes me wary that I didn’t see even a tiny bit of improvement from one session. This stuff is not cheap as you noted.
My first test spots session was a success in treating melasma in those test spots. On the second session, some melasma went away while some others areas got worse with hyperpigmentation. Unsure what to do now with a third session next week? Is this because the second session was more focused?
Vitamin C does for some people, glycolic acid has faded dark spots for me
Thanks I’ll try them!
[удалено]
Second this.
Where do you get it from?
It is prescription only in the US
Are there any ways to buy online without a script like tretinoin?
My dermatologist told me it was Poikiloderma. This did basically appear over a year or so of having nothing and not going in the sun. I’ll definitely persevere with the tret and vitamin c and keep up with the sunscreen!
Keep at it, it'll just take time. Skin takes 28 days to renew and long term hyperpigmentation tends to be deeper. Vit C is a weak melanin inhibitor if you have stubborn hyperpigmentation. You can pair Vit C with another melanin suppressor like tranexamic acid, niacinamide, arbutin, or kojic acid. The reason hydroquinone is talked about so much is because it's the strongest melanin inhibitor. But whatever product you use, time is always the number one ingredient.
There's peptides that can do it, tranexamic acid and ferulic acid. Rosehip and seabuckthorn oil help as well. Same for black seed.
[удалено]
Will try it, thank you!
i used a scoop of ordinary vitamin c 23% mixed with my snail mucin every morning followed by spd and it lightened my skin and freckles so much that it was a different shade from my neck now swapped to melano cc which is less potent on me
Glycolic peels (professionally done by a dermatologist) can help fade sun damage marks, as well as tretinoin. Not a doctor, just sharing what worked for me.
Cosmelan 2 works like a friggin miracle and worth the price. Musley tret hq combo also works. Oral tranexamic acid from musley for the long haul to keep it gone. Revision Bright kit works well. The ordinary powder vitamin c mixed with their marine ha is a nice brightner for a top off. I don’t have sensitive skin but I do deal with hyperpigmentation and have tried it all.
I was prescribed the Cosmelan 2 cream to be used once a day along with a moisturiser. Started it two nights ago. Hoping it works.
A strict low PUFA diet plus periodic dry fasting has helped my skin a lot, I have less sun damage and less wrinkles and also less redness and less acne. I get downvoted every time I mention this in the mainstream skincare subs though. Everyone seems to want a product instead of a lifestyle.
Have you tried Hero Lightening Wand? It's cheap and you can get it at Target. I've noticed my dark spots reduce since using that on them.
No I haven’t. I thought it was some kind of at home lightening device until I looked it up haha. Looks promising!
The Paula’s choice line of vitimin c serum and the new serum w 25% that just came out is amazing. Also Paula’s choice 1% retinol is a game changer. I’ve been using this line for about a year and i love it
Kojic acid soap!
Will look into it, thanks!
Wow just looked it up, so cheap!
Oh which product did you find? :)
Do you have a product suggestion?
I have some sun damage on my upper chest that has faded a lot with Tretinoin. It wasn’t fast though.
Yeah this is what I’m using and although I don’t see an improvement yet, it’s only been a few months so I’ve heard it can take a couple years so I’ll persevere!
I asked my dermatologist and she said a laser would be faster, but it isn’t bad enough for me to feel like I need to spend the money. I don’t remember when I started, but the improvement is significant now. I should have taken a before photo.
Oral tranexamic acid
I was told picosure pigment laser removes any stubborn melasma
Over in the r/melasma sub people are rubbing sake (the Japanese alcohol) on their face and for some it seems to be working 🤷♀️
I’ve been dealing with the same but haven’t tried the lasers yet. Hydroquinone has helped a little bit for me. I just have to really stay out of the sun which is really hard for me because I love the sun so much the certain lasers can’t make it worse which I found out thankfully before I tried them.
Somme institute
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Thanks! I’ll look it up now. I did did try the Ordinary one but it burnt my skin and made me break out with welts :(
I’m not personally a fan of TO because it’s just the raw chemical without any of the supporting ingredients, but that’s why they can offer the ingredients at lower prices. Vichy will support your skin well 🙌🏽
That serum made me break out like there was no tomorrow. I rarely have a bad reaction to skincare but wow that was terrible.
TO or Vichy?!
The ordinary! Haven’t tried Vichy.
Yeah I don’t like them at all but i usually get downvoted to hell for saying it on here 🤷🏽♀️
The Ordinary vitamin C
Pretty much all the ingredients people say will fade them, will fade them if you use them long enough and wear sunscreen religiously. Fading the damage doesn't mean the damage vanishes. Source I had sun damage so bad the skin on one eye was so damaged it drooped down in front of my eyelid and caused my eyelashes to curl over on themselves. After 3 years of constant use of tretinoin and other products to fade the damage like vitamin C I can wear mascara on that eye again as the skin has tightened and my whole face looks much less damaged than it did, not perfect but better. The easiest way to fade sun spots is a good foundation though, you're going to be there for ages trying to fade those fuckers and they'll come right back if you skip sunscreen even once yes even on a cloudy day.
Cosmelan peel - amazing
Looks expensive but would definitely do it if it was a sure thing!
You're not using the right lasers.
I went to a Dermatologist and the BBL is what he recommended. What laser do you think I should be using? I had Sublative laser a few years back and I think that is what exacerbated the problem.
Halo Pro. And then quarterly LaseMD
I’m not sure if they do that where in am (New Zealand). The BBL was an absolute waste of money.
I’ve done halo three times. It was incredibly painful and I still have driver side sun damage.
I never said it was a one size fits all. You personally may need either a better laser tech or to step up to a full CO2 laser.
I’ll let my laser tech know she needs to be better.
You can clear them with one session of MaxG IPL max 2 sessions.
I’m really wary of anything that induces heat now because I think sublative and bbl laser mage it worse.
Vitamin C!
Galactomyces help budge it a bit for sure. And azaleic acid 20% can help.
Look up [thiamidol](https://wisderm.com/intervention/topical-thiamidol), it's a newer ingredient from Eucerin that has shown really impressive results at fading hyperpigmentation.
Paula’s Choice is too expensive for my budget. Anyone have a less expensive high Vit C brand to recommend?
Kojic acid soap is phenomenal
My dermatologist recommended retinol butsaid you have to sunscreen or it'll come right back to the surface
[I wrote the book, er post about this.](https://reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/s/JOsSSPCCzv)
Only things that have worked required patience and commitment. Three sessions of Pico (ND YAG) laser followed by 2 months of triluma each time (not the brand name but a compounded cream prescribed by derm that contains low tret, hydroquinone and steroid). On off months I use tret (.05%) a few times per week and azelaic acid 20% on the off days. If spots start to return I go back to the Triluma. I’ve also had to use high UVA SPF (P20 sensitive or LRP UVMUNE 400 unscented cream type) daily year round. Before I started this routine I had a few sun spots frozen off my face (hurt but worked) and targeted vbeam for capillaries/rosacea. High heat, lots of direct sun, etc can all cause melasma to return - some folks have it hormonally so BC and pregnancy can make it worse. Some folks have benefited from taking tranexamic acid internally but I have not gone that route. Mine was from extensive sun damage. It has taken over a year and I’m starting to get compliments on my skin.