From the category archives:

Melasma

Skin Lightening Cream

Non-prescription skin lightening creams that claim to bleach or lighten your skin can be harmful.

‘Patients are often very distressed by the results of skin lightening creams’ says Indy Rihal, British Skin Foundation

“Unfortunately, many skin-lightening creams contain illegal compounds that can damage your health,” says Indy Rihal of the British Skin Foundation. “The most common compounds are high-dose steroids.”

The damaging effects of these products are taken seriously by the law. In March 2009, a man who sold unlicensed medicines and banned cosmetics, including skin-lightening creams containing corticosteroids and hydroquinone, was ordered to pay £80,000 in fines, costs and repayment of illegal earnings.

So Are There Any Safe Products To Bleach Skin ?

There are actually a couple of manufacturers that we know of who produce effective and perfectly safe skin whitening products.

The specialist manufacturer of skin care products for Asian skin types, Pharmaclinix produces a skin lightening cream under the name of Lightenex.  This particular skin lightening cream uses Kojic Dipalmitate as its main active ingredient, this is a perfectly safe naturally occurring compound and will not do long term damage to your skin. Lightenex should also be used in conjunction with a high SPF moisturiser to be really effective.

Lightenex is being used by thousands of women to treat areas of chloasma or melasma with some great results.

The other manufacturer of a safe skin lightening cream which will effectively bleach skin is Xtend-Life from New Zealand and goes by the name of Xtend-Life Natural Whitening Day Cream.

This particular skin lightening cream uses a naturally occuring substance called Extrapone Nutgrass, nutgrass has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines. The active ingredient in Xtend-Life Natural Whitening Day Cream is derived from the root of the nutgrass plant which grows wild in India.

Nutgrass root has also been found to have anti-aging properties for the skin. Therefore it is a natural way to whiten your skin, without any harmful side effects, as well as making your skin look younger. It is also effective at reducing freckles.

There are also 9 other active ingredients in the Xtend-Life cream which aid with anti-aging.

All in all, between the two products the Xtend-Life Natural Whitening Day Cream is by far the better value as it contains a lot more active ingredients and is about 20% cheaper and if you use the Loyalty Discount scheme operated by Xtend-Life then it becomes even cheaper still.

To find out more about Xtend-Life Natural Whitening Day Cream just click here.

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Hormonal Pigmentation


Hormonal pigmentation can come on quite suddenly. Most people suffering from this condition will suddenly notice patches that are darker than the surrounding skin.

The most common type of hormonal pigmentation is Melasma. I will describe this in more detail in another post.

The second most common type of hormonal pigmentation is the kind induced by conditions like PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome) and Diabetes Mellitus. Also, some men and women will notice hormonal pigmentation after puberty. This type of pigmentation usually manifests on the back of legs and/or underarms. This is more common in some races and quite unusual in others. Other rarer forms of hormonal pigmentation includes those found in people suffering from Addison’s disease and Acanthosis Nigricans. Sudden darkening could also be caused by Arsenic poisoning.

Hormonal pigmentation requires constant lightening and simultaneous treatment of internal conditions if there are any present. With persistance and a disciplined regime, it is possible to even out even the toughest areas of pigmentation.

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Melasma or Pregnancy Mask

Melasma, commonly known as the mask of pregnancy affects women of child bearing age. Common factors that can trigger melasma in women include puberty, use of contraceptive pills or other hormonal birth control methods and of course, pregnancy. This type of pigmentation typically only affects the face and sometimes, the neck. Dark pigment appears in patches all over the face or over the eyes and cheeks giving a characteristic mask like appearance.

Melasma does not cause any health problems but can be very distressing to the women suffering from it. A number of treatments exist, however, care must be taken to treat skin gently, as melasma hyperpigmentation can be very reactive and can quickly worsen or spread. Use of chemical lighteners should also be avoided to prevent other skin complications. The best bet would be a long term treatment plan consisting of all natural lightening agents and the careful use of a sun block.

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