Skin Lightning Treatments
Discolorations on your skin such as acne scars, age spots, dark spots, freckles or dark patches may be lightened with skin treatments. Skin lightening creams lighten the color of skin over time. Other skin lightening treatments such as laser therapy require a visit to a dermatologist's office since they are more complicated and risky. When skin is lightened, the production of melanin is partially blocked. Melanin is the pigment responsible for skin color. Does this Spark an idea?
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Skin Lightening Creams
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Skin lightening creams such as Meladerm are used in combination with a skin exfoliant, sunscreen and sometimes even a prescription retinoid. This treatment is considered safe by dermatologists since it blocks some production of melanin. Over time your skin is lightened by using cream. Common topical treatments include hydroquinone, azelaic acid, kojic acid, mequinol, retinoids, soy or niacinamide among their ingredients. These treatments come in the form of a lotion or cream and are usually used twice daily with sunblock after skin is cleansed and exfoliated.
Chemical Peels
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Chemical peels help speed up epidermal turnover and remove melanized keratinocytes which results in a lessening of the amount of melanin. However, due to their strength, chemical peels may cause postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and other infections. Chemical peels consisting of alpha-hydroxy acids help lighten skin. Other ingredients may include glycolic acid which is often used in skin lightening treatments. Chemical peels should be repeated every 2 to 3 weeks for skin to be significantly lightened and may be used in combination with a hydroquinone formula.
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Laser Therapy
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Phototherapy such as laser treatment is another way to lighten your skin but may only be done at a dermatologist's office. Lasers lighten skin by absorbing energy and destroying chromophores through an emission of monochromic, high intensity energy which is absorbed by the melanin. The laser determines the depth of penetration or how much skin needs to be lightened. Redness, swelling and inflammation may result after laser treatment.
Other Phototherapy
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Other phototherapy treatments for lightening skin include resurfacing, intense pulsed light and fractional photothermolysis. Resurfacing is a risky treatment which may result in scarring and hyperpigmentation. It uses ablative lasers which ablate skin and disrupt the creation of melanin. Intense pulsed light, another laser treatment, uses high-intensity pulses of a broad wavelength of light which deliver energy to the skin. This energy is absorbed by the chromophores and causes skin to lighten. Fractional photothermolysis, another laser treatment, causes thermal damage to the epidermis of the skin, causing skin to undergo laser resurfacing and speedy healing.
Dermabrasion
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Skin dermabrasion can be done either using an at-home kit or as a form of surgery at a dermatologist's office. It is considered an alternative to lightening skin although it is not the preferred option by doctors. Dermabrasion cleans up the surface of the skin by smoothing it and removing scars, moles and wrinkles. It may result in scarring, inflammation, loss of skin texture and scarring which may last until skin heals and regrows. Always consult skin lightening treatments with a doctor or dermatologist beforehand. You may need to test the treatment on your skin to check if it causes an allergic reaction, rash or redness.
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References
- Photo Credit yellow image by Frenk_Danielle Kaufmann from Fotolia.com
