11/05/2017
On behalf of my skincare brand i would love to educate you on the various skin shades so that you know "EXACTLY" what you need before placing an order from us.
Lightening, brightening, caramel chocolate, clarifying, melasma, dark spots, hyperpigmentations.
An introduction to some of the most common terms, conditions, causes and treatments regarding lightening and pigmentation concerns.
Why Would I Want Lighter or Brighter Skin?
Why Choose Lightening Over “Whitening”?
Why Would I Want Lighter or Brighter Skin?
All of us are born with skin that is lighter (paler) than the skin we end up with as adults. This is partly because over time, our cumulative exposure to sun and light increasingly darkens our skin.
While you can return your skin (or get it closer) to its original, lighter shade, you cannot completely change your skin’s color to a totally different color. That is, with the correct protection and treatment, you can return your skin to a shade equal or closer to its original, much-lighter shade but you cannot “convert” medium brown Asian skin, for example, to very pale Caucasian skin.
When treatments aim to lighten skin, the objective is usually to return it to a healthier, pre-sun-and-light-exposed shade, which also means free of uneven patches and dark spots that can accumulate over time. Such treatments frequently use tyrosinase inhibitors—active ingredients that aim to block the enzyme that begins the process of melanin production.
When treatments aim to brighten skin, the objective is usually to impart a vibrant, natural radiance to skin that can be lost as older, dead skin cells adhere to the surface of the skin (the natural shedding process of the skin that pushes lighter, brighter, healthier cells to the skin’s surface slows down). Such treatments frequently use micro-exfoliants to speed up this natural renewal process.
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Why Choose Lightening Over Whitening?
Lightening is a process that returns your skin to its original, lighter pre-sun-and-light-exposed shade — which, because it is the shade of your skin before harmful exposure, is arguably also a healthier state.
The best lightening therapy also works to return skin to its clarity (absence of dark spots and uneven patches) prior to sun and light damage. This means that the therapy works to reverse damage like dark spots or blotches, melasma and other hyperpigmentations. As such, the lightening process works to return your skin to health. On the other hand, because skin “whitening” treatments sometimes aim for a drastic change in skin tone, they can involve harsh bleaches that try to strip the skin of its pigment. At times, the whitening process is so irritating that post-inflammatory hyperpigmentations (PIH) and even ochronosis (blue-black plaques that can look like bruises) can result. PIH is a condition of skin darkening that occurs after a skin trauma, such as a rash, pimple, insect bite, irritation, or burn. Harsh “whitening” products can therefore create more unsightly, hard-to-treat dark spots and blotches (PIH and ochronosis are notoriously difficult to lighten). Other common adverse reactions from whitening products include stinging, hypersensitivity and even serious burns.
