08 Sep Hydroquinone System
Well, now that summer is drawing to an end it’s time to discuss skin bleaching! I know it sounds scary and slightly Michael Jackson-esque but trust me if you have stubborn pigmentation or like I mentioned before in my last blog post, melasma like myself, hydroquinone is a life changer!
There are numerous reasons we may have spots on our body that are darker than the rest; melasma, sun spots, post inflammatory hyper pigmentation (PIH), age spots, damage from acne or cuts and scrapes can all create dark pigmentation on our skin. This is a result of overactive melanin production where the cells produce too much pigment and only disperse it in specific areas or spots. We call this vertical pigmentation. Horizontal pigmentation is when the cells are acting normally and evenly disperse the pigment all over creating a nice healthy glow. This is what we want to remind the skin to do and the way we get there is to calm down the overactive cells and blend the skin to create an even complexion.
Here in the lab we love the Zo Medical Multi-Therapy Hydroquinone System combined with Retamax. The kit includes; Melamin Skin Bleaching and Correcting Creme with 4% Hydroquinone, Glycogent Exfoliation Accelerator 10% (this helps to speed up your results), Melamix Skin Lightener and Blending Creme with 4% Hydroquinone, Ossential Daily Power Defense and the Oclipse Sunscreen + Primer Broad-Spectrum SPF 30.
The Melamin and Melamix is where the magic happens, the 4% hydroquinone helps to shut down those overactive cells and inhibit the melanin production and the Melamix combined with the Retamax (0.5% Retinol) helps to even out the skin colour and texture so we are not left with overly bleached areas. The other products in the kit are designed to maximize the results, keep our skin healthy and protect the skin as bleaching causes the skin to become extremely sensitive to light.
Hydroquinone is a game changer but due to the fact it is a prescription product it is only safe to use for a maximum of 5 months, you will start seeing the results of this treatment within 4 weeksand by the 3rd month you will see a significant change in pigmentation and texture in the skin. The first month you may see some flaking and your skin may be slightly irritated but I promise it is worth it and you will get used to it, just push through! If you have tried other products and lasers and it has not worked to improve the pigment in your skin I can guarantee this will. I am personally using this as we speak so come on down to the lab and I can tell you all about it.
xoxo
Bethany