What Is A Skin Lightening Treatment?

Skin lightening treatment refers to a few ways to lighten dark, tanned, or uneven skin tone by reducing the melanin content of the skin. The aim is to achieve a fairer complexion that looks even throughout your body.

Why Is Skin Lightening Treatment Needed?

In daily life, our skin goes through a lot. It is exposed to the sun, pollutants, chemicals from skincare products, radiation from devices, and a lot more. From the inside, it is affected by hormonal changes, medication, acne, and nutritional imbalances. All these factors take a toll on the skin and it loses it’s original color. Plus, factors like advanced age and some hereditary factors also make the skin look darker. While, at most times, this hyperpigmentation is medically harmless, it can hamper our aesthetic appearance and steal our self-confidence. Unfortunately, it sometimes also subjects you to bullying and social isolation. This is why people seek out skin lightening treatments to regain their true selves.

Is Skin Lightening Treatment Safe?

Yes, skin lightening treatments are safe when performed by a certified dermatologist. They are quite painless or easily manageable by mild painkillers. It is, however, inadvisable to opt for these procedures in beauty salons or try any unapproved treatments.

How Is Skin Lightening Treatment Done?

Let’s look at some treatment options that can give you healthy and even-toned skin.

• Topical Creams: Topical creams and lotions containing hydroquinone, kojic acid, and retinoids can lighten the skin. Hydroquinone inhibits melanin production and so does kojic acid. Retinoids enhance skin cell turnover, resulting in a lighter complexion. Such creams are available commercially. But if you want faster results, you can use higher concentrations under the supervision of a dermatologist.
• Oral Medication: Medicines made with glutathione, tranexamic acid, niacinamide, ascorbic acid, panthenol, and other vitamins can also help nourish the skin, make it healthy, and restore its natural glow.
• Chemical Peels: This treatment uses AHAs and BHAs to exfoliate the skin deeply. This helps remove all dead skin cells, deep-rooted gunk, and product buildup, restoring the skin’s original look. It also smoothens fine lines and wrinkles.
• Microdermabrasion: In this procedure, an abrasive device is swiped over your skin causing micro-tears. This boosts collagen production that, in turn, replaces old skin cells with fresh, young ones, giving you visibly lighter skin. This procedure is not the most comfortable one but is usually well-tolerated.
• Laser Therapy: This procedure uses laser beams to break down excess melanin in the skin. It is most suitable for dark underarms, neck, elbows, etc. It can also be used on age spots and acne scars to even tone the skin.
• Mesotherapy: Mesotherapy uses a concoction of skin-friendly ingredients that is directly injected into the problem areas of the skin. In this procedure, the ‘medicine’ reaches deep inside the skin and helps eliminate the root cause of skin darkening. It is just like topical creams but faster and more effective.

Is Skin Lightening Treatment Permanent?

Skin lightening treatments are not permanent. Some are more long-lasting than others, but their effects do fade over time. You can take good care of your skin, avoid, sun exposure, and intake skin-friendly foods to enhance the longevity of the procedures. But eventually, your skin will darken again and you can go for skin lightening sessions again if you want to.