Cosme

Skin whitening is a prime objective of skincare for many women, with hyper pigmentation due to sun damage or hormones now considered as much of an aging factor as wrinkling. Many cosmetics companies claim that their products provide skin whitening or brightening, but there are only a few active ingredients that really are able to fade skin discolorations. The most effective ingredients for skin whitening are hydroquinone, kojic acid, arbutin, and vitamin C. Avoid treatments that contain mercury, because though it’s effective, it’s highly toxic.

Skin Whitening Products

Hydroquinone is the most common skin whitening ingredient used in the U.S. It is available in concentrations of up to 2% in over-the-counter products, and stronger solutions (up to 4%) can be prescribed by a dermatologist. However, hydroquinone is banned in Europe and parts of Asia and Africa due to fear of a cancer risk. Hydroquinone works by inhibiting melanin production and is very effective after 4 weeks of continuous treatment; using hydroquinone products for longer than 3 months is not recommended, however, because overuse can actually cause darkening of the skin.

Kojic acid also inhibits melanin production. Derived from a fungus, it is a more natural skin whitening alternative to hydroquinone. Kojic acid is more effective when combined with glycolic acid, and can be extremely irritating to sensitive skin, so try a small test patch first. People using kojic acid products will usually see results within 8 weeks. Many Japanese skin whitening products use kojic acid as the active ingredient. Recent studies have also called kojic acid’s safety into question, however.

Arbutin is a relatively new skin whitening ingredient that is made from bearberry extract. Since it also has soothing properties, it’s an excellent choice for people with sensitive skin. However, it hasn’t been tested as extensively as the other skin whitening treatments, so its efficacy is as yet unproven.

Vitamin C can also be effective at inhibiting melanin production. However, the tests that show it to be effective have used a concentration of over 5%, which is much more than what is usually used in cosmetic products. Vitamin C is also notoriously unstable, which means that by the time a cosmetic product containing it gets home to you it may have broken down and become useless. For this reason, Vitamin C is a last resort skin whitening treatment for those who can’t use the other topical treatments for one reason or another.

For those for whom topical skin whitening treatments don’t work, laser resurfacing or visible pulsed light treatments, available from a dermatologist’s office, may do the trick. These treatments, which need to be repeated periodically to be effective, cost from $3,000-$5,000 for a set of four treatments. Laser resurfacing and visible pulsed light are not recommended for people with dark skin, as they can leave disfiguring scars.

Whichever active skin whitening treatment you choose, make sure to use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 daily. Using skin whitening treatments without sunscreen actually accelerates sun damage and makes it worse.