The Perfect Skin Lightening Regimen

Photo Credit: ToniqueSkinCare

Building a skin lightening or skin brightening regimen is one thing, but being consistent with it is another. I think the latter is what is most difficult for us. Because there are so many skin lighteners out there, and so many ingredients out there that work for some people and cause adverse reactions for others, it's easy to burn out on skin lightening.

I get a lot of messages where people aren't seeing results or feel like nothing is working for their skin. I completley sympathize and empathize with messages like these. I've definitley been there. I know I've talked about skin lightening being a very gradual process at nauseam, but I think I should emphasis more on the value of consistency. The more you stick with a solid skin lightening regimen - the better the results will be, and the whole maintenance process will be.

I mentioned in Stopping Melanin Formation Through Combinations that the general rule for skin lightening is this:

Prevention = sunscreen daily (decent PPD levels (8 or higher))
Exfoliation = gentle regular, consistent exfoliation through AHAs, retinoids OR manual exfoliants
Treatment = using topical antioxidants, copper peptides, niacinamide or botanical lighteners

Now to have the 'perfect skin lightening regimen' regardless of your current skin tone or pigmentation issue, there are 3 key ingredients you need to cover in the 'treatment' portion.

The treatment aspect in a skin lightening regimen should attack melanin by:

- Inhibiting tyrosinase (the enzyme that creates melanin)
- Inhibiting oxidative/free radical response
- Inhibits melanin transfer to keratinocytes

There is an optional fourth one, which I have introduced recently and that is to inhibit the hormonal response to tyrosinase activity throught he use of Sepiwhite. Melasma sufferers may greatly benefit from adding this ingredient into their regimen.

A lot of times, skin lighteners have a host of ingredients that target the 3 areas of melanin so you basically get a three-in-one. However there is also the issue of percentages and potency. Certain ingredients need to be at certain concentrations to have an affect on the melanin production process.

The Featured Ingredients series I have implemented on my blog in the last 3 or 4 months is a way to focus on a specific ingredient and explain the mechanism of skin lightening action. To simplify it, I will list ingredients (I've featured mostly all of them, lol) and just explain their method of lightening skin color and recommended percentage:

Ingredient   Percentage    Mechanism of Skin Lightening

Kojic Acid           2-4%                    Tyrosinase Inhibitor
                                                        Antioxidant Activity

Mulberry Extract     0.396%             Tyrosinase Inhibitor
                                                        Antioxidant Activity

Paper Mulberry      0.1-1%               Tyrosinase Inhibitor
                                                         Melanin Transfer Inhibitor

Tranexamic Acid    3%                      Melanin Transfer Inhibitor
                                                         Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Gigawhite            5%                         Melanin Transfer Inhibitor
                                                         Antioxidant Activity

Bearberry Extract    1-5%                 Tyrosinase Inhibitor
                                                         Antioxidant Activity

Licorice Extract      2-8%                  Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Vitamin C              10-20%               Antioxidant Activity

Sepiwhite              1-3%                   Hormonal Response Inhibitor

Rumex Extract      1-3%                    Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Arbutin                 3%                       Tyrosinase Inhibitor
                                                         Melanin Transfer Inhibitor

Green Tea Extract    1%                    Antioxidant Activity

N-Acetyl Glucosamine     2%            Melanin Transfer Inhibitor
                                                         Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Copper Peptides     5-10%                Antioxidant Activity
                                                         Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Niacinamide            5%                     Melanin Transfer Inhibitor

Chromabright         0.1-1%               Tyrosinase Inhibitor
                                                        Antioxidant Activity

With all this information, hopefully building the perfect skin lightening regimen for yourself can become a little less overwhelming. The general template should look like (and I am only referring to the treatment aspect):

AM:
- some kind of antioxidant (there are lots, Vitamin C is the most potent though)

PM:
- either all three or the two remaining keys to skin lightening (enzyme inhibition and melanin transfer inhibition).

I generally recommend antioxidant based lighteners to be used in the day since they are the perfect compliment to sunscreen. I don't know about any of you, but I can't stand layering too many products on my face. Especially during the day. But the other 2 kinds of lighteners can be used during the day as well. Just remember to protect your hard work with sunscreen!

<333