- Categories: Skin Whitening
- Tags: Allergens, Best Bet, Dark Girls, Dead Skin Cells, Drastic Results, Freckles, Home Remedy, Lemon Juice, Melanin Production, Modern Technology, New Skin, No Doubt, Pale Girl, Ph1, Plastic Surgeon, Self Tanners, Sun Damage, Sun Protection, Uv Exposure, Worth The Wait
Have you ever longed for fairer, brighter skin? Strange isn’t it? How some very fair ladies feel they look sickly and bask in the sun for a so called healthy tan. They were healthier pale than browned because a tan is a sign of sun damage. If you are born brown, then you would be the envy of these women. Then again, the grass is always greener on the other side. Dark girls often want to be fair.
Modern technology is amazing. A pale girl can get tan skin without even stepping out in the sun. Thanks to self tanners in the form of lotions or even pills.
Likewise, dark girls can go fairer. Going to a plastic surgeon for skin bleaching can give you very drastic results. Your best bet is to stay out of the sun and use sun protection and wear long sleeves and pants by day to allow your skin fade to the color you were born with.
An old home remedy to fade away the freckles and dark spots with lemon juice. It is a risky thing because lemon juice is very acid pH2. Sulphuric acid is just 1 point away at pH1, so you can imagine how acidic lemons are. You could end up burning or irritating your skin with lemon juice. At very least, it would make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. UV exposure triggers off melanin production. If your skin is continuously irritated, not just by sunlight, but by pollutants and allergens, your skin will react by producing more melanin and darkening even further.
Basically, your skin gets dark because melanin is produced by your skin, to shade it from the sun. The freckles, dark spots and even the even tan is due to melanin clustering together to protect your skin.
To get fair, you slowly exfoliate off the darkened skin over time and prevent the new skin from darkening. As the darkened dead skin cells are rubbed off, younger,lighter skin is revealed. It takes time no doubt, but the results are worth the wait.
There are several things commonly used to lighten the skin.
Hydroquinone is one of them but in higher concentrations, it can cause irritations and may even be carcinogenic. It makes skin lighter by preventing melanin from being formed.
Alchemilla a plant popular amongst the alchemists in the Middle Ages, slows the release of melanin pigments to your skin, hence slowing down the darkening of your skin.
Kojic acid is used to to prevent melanin formation.
Black-Out Yeast Complex, a formula by clinique, used extensively in its Derma White range breaks down the melanin clusters so that these can be disposed of via exfoliation and defuses irritants that would otherwise darken the skin, through its delivery of antioxidants. Most importantly, it prevents more melanin from forming by blocking away the signals to produce melanin.
Then there are the skin bleaching treatments by a plastic surgeon using AHAs or retin-A amongst other things. These are for more drastic results. For something gentler, I suggest you get a skin whitening range from your favourite skin care brand.
By: Janice Tham
- Categories: Skin Whitening
- Tags: Acute Complications, African Descent, Age Spots, Alpha Arbutin, Contact Dermatitis, Halo Effect, Hyper Pigmentation, Hypopigmentation, Lethal Side Effects, Leukoderma, Liver Spots, Melanin Biosynthesis, Nail Discoloration, Natural Alternatives, Pih, Skin Tanning, Skin Types, Sun Damage, Uneven Skin Tone, Uv Exposure
Thinking About Skin Lightning? Know the Ingredients of Your Skin Lightning Creams
If you ever considered skin lightning or skin whitening treatment, you’ve probably encountered the substance called Hydroquinone. Until recently, Hydroquinone was the standard treatment for uneven skin tone, all around the world. People thought that Hydroquinone was safest and most effective treatment for hyper-pigmentation, including age spots, sun damage and various skin discolorations.
So what caused the banning of hydroquinone? Turns out that there are lethal side effects associated with the long term use of synthetic hydroquinone. The acute complications of hydroquinone are transient and include contact dermatitis, paradoxical PIH, and hypopigmentation or the so called “halo effect”.
Chronic adverse events include exogenous ochronosis, especially in women of African descent, nail discoloration, and permanent leukoderma. Indeed, Hydroquinone’s toxicity and tendency to irritate skin has resulted with the European Committee banning its use in cosmetics and limiting its availability to prescriptions only. In the US, the FDA proposed that hydroquinone based bleaching creams should be removed from the shelves and be available only in prescription branded medications.
But this doesn’t mean that skin lightning came to an end. On the contrary! During the last few years, manufacturers studied natural alternatives to hydroquinone and found many exciting new ways to treat post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.
ALPHA-ARBUTIN
Alpha-Arbutin is a pure, water soluble, biosynthetic active ingredient, promoting an effective, fast, and safe approach to skin lightening and even skin tone on all skin types. How does it work? Alpha-Arbutin blocks epidermal melanin biosynthesis by inhibiting enzymatic oxidation of tyrosine, minimizes liver spots, and reduces the degree of skin tanning after UV exposure. Alpha-Arbutin meets all requirements of a modern skin lightening and skin depigmentation product.
BETA-ARBUTIN
Beta-Arbutin, often referred to as Arbutin, is a natural extract found in Bearberry plants. Though Arbutin is a natural derivative of hydroquinone, it does not possess the same risks or side effects and delivers exquisite results.
GLYCOLIC ACID
Glycolic Acid is the most active and beneficial of the Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) family. It is generally used as a natural skin exfoliant and moisturizer. Glycolic Acid evens out skin discoloration and helps minimize fine lines and wrinkles. AHAs such as Glycolic Acid can assist other ingredients in skin lighteners by allowing them to penetrate farther into the skin.
LACTIC ACID
Also an AHA, Lactic Acid mimics the properties of Glycolic Acid but is typically better suited for individuals with sensitive skin.
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C, the king of vitamins, is a naturally occurring antioxidant obtained from citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables producing only a limited increase in skin concentration. Vitamin C interacts with copper ions of the tyrosinase active site and reduces oxidized dopaquinone, thereby changing melanin from jet black to light tan.
Next time when you choose a skin lightning product, take a quick look at this list and make sure there’s no hydroquinone present. And remember that all of these natural substances are used in Makari De Suisse skin lightning creams and skin whitening products.
Visit www.Makari.com and enhance your complexion naturally, with bleach and hydroquinone-free choice.
Black is beautiful but blotchy pigments and unhealthy skin is unwanted. Makari De Suisse helps you enhance your complexion naturally and with a Bleach and Hydroquinone-free choice.
By: Mark Etinger
- Categories: Skin Whitening
- Tags: Adverse Reactions, Alpha Hydroxy Acids, Cancer Risk, Cloudy Days, Extra Care, Free Radical Damage, Hydroquinone, Melanin Production, Protective Clothing, Skin Aging, Skin Cancer, Skin Whitening Products, Spf Rating, Sun Block, Sun Damage, Toxic Substance, Uv Radiation, Uv Rays, Vitamin D Deficiency, Zinc Oxide
This scared me to death! If you are going to buy skin whitening products, you need a little information, first. There are some safe and effective ingredients, but most of the chemicals and other compounds used by the major manufacturers are not safe. They can cause allergic reaction, irritation and long-term damage. They may even increase your risk of cancer.
I’ll get to the good and bad ingredients, in a moment. But, first let me just mention the affect that UV rays from the sun have on your appearance and your skin’s health.
Sun-screening compounds, both organic and synthetic, have become increasingly popular ingredients for cosmetics, primarily because sun-damage is one of the causes of skin-aging and UV rays from the sun can cause free radical damage, which can lead to skin-cancer. A small amount of sunlight is important to our health, mood and overall well-being.
Without it, the skin’s cells cannot produce vitamin D. If you decide to avoid the sun, all together, you must be sure to get enough vitamin D, either by eating more fish or by taking a supplement. Doctors that care for older patients have noted an increased rate of vitamin D deficiency.
If you use skin whitening products, you must use extra care to protect yourself from UV rays, because the most effective ones inhibit melanin production and melanin provides natural protection from UV radiation. Wear a hat or other protective clothing, whenever possible. On exposed areas, use a zinc oxide sun-block, with a 20+ SPF rating, whenever you expect to spend more than a few minutes in direct sunlight. Remember that UV rays get through, even on cloudy days.
Now, let’s look at some “bad” ingredients for skin whitening products. Avoid:
1. Hydroquinone, may increase cancer risk and causes serious adverse reactions, including the appearance of permanent dark bumps
2. Mercury, extremely toxic substance that builds up in the body’s organs
3. Alpha hydroxy acids, not effective for inhibiting melanin production, cause redness and irritation
4. Kojic acid, may be carcinogenic
5. Vitamin C, can cause irritation, only effective at large doses, which are not found in cosmetic formulations
There are several specific ingredients to look for. The best skin whitening products contain all of these:
1. Nut-grass root extracts, shown to safely inhibit melanin production by over 40% without causing irritation
2. Functional Keratin, shown to increase the production of new skin-cells, resulting in a faster acting product that has an anti-aging affect
3. NANO-LIPOBELLE HE Q10, a proprietary formulation that contains coenzyme Q10 and natural vitamin E in an emulsion that is small enough, molecularly to penetrate the skin’s layers to prevent and repair damage done by UV radiation
4. Maracuja passion fruit extract, softens, balances sebum production, good for dry, oily and combination complexions
5. Grape-seed oil, an effective moisturizer that creates and invisible film that prevents dirt and grime from entering the pores.
Make no mistake about it, if you start using skin whitening products and other creams that contain similar ingredients, you’ll never go back to your old skincare system, regardless of how good you thought it was.
To learn more about vitamins for healthy skin, and other incredible natural substances for natural healthy skin care, visit my website today.
By: Laurel Levine