All About Skin Lightening: December's Top 5 Products

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

December's Top 5 Products - Last Post Of The Year!!! =D

Alpha Hydrox Spot Light Targeted Skin Lightener
Ole Henriksen Enlighten Me Pigment Lightening Serum
Mario Badescu Whitening Mask
Paula's Choice Resist Clearly Remarkable Skin Lightening Gel
Lantomi Skin Lightening Cream

The Lantomi was my input, lol. I had to mention it in this month’s list since I think it’s marvelous skin lightener :) It looks like this most likely will be the final post of the year. It’s pretty amazing how fast 2010 has gone by but I’m looking forward to 2011 both personally and for this blog. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and wish you love and light in the New Year.

<33

Mileena

Labels: skin lightening, Top 5

20 Comments:

Unknown said...: Mileena,

Wish you a brightest new year ahead :-)
Have you had a chance to research Dr Ci:Labo's White 377 series which claims to be 7000 times stronger than arbutin?
http://www.cilabousa.com/lineup/sw377_extreme/index.html

-Lisa; December 30, 2010 at 12:28 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi!

I'm having laser hair removal done on my face and was wondering if skin lightening can be done along with it? Could you guide me as to how to go about it?

Thanks!; December 30, 2010 at 8:35 PM
Mileena said...: Hi,

Yes, skin lightening can be done along side a laser hair removal process. Avoid AHA-based products or retinoids (vitamin A derivatives). For the actual skin lightening, stick with a botanical extract based/anti-inflammatory lightener. One with licorice extract would be ideal since that is anti inflammatory as well as lightening.

Skinceuticals Phyto+ is a top choice as is the Paul & Joe Whitening Beaut Serum. :)
<3; December 31, 2010 at 1:37 PM
Anonymous said...: Thank you for replying. I've been following your blog for a while now. It's really quite helpful. I wish I had asked you my question (laser hair removal) before I went ahead and ordered a few of the items listed on your blog. Today I ordered Avene Diacneal, MUAC 40% Lactic Acid, Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid and Paul & Joe Whitening Serum. Which one of these products should I go ahead and use? Is Avene Diacneal, a definite no no? Also if & when my laser treatments are over at what point could I start with Avene Diacneal?

I just recently started using DDF Brightening Cleanser. Is it ok to use this cleanser?

Sorry for showering you with soo many questions :)

Thanks,
Hana; December 31, 2010 at 9:30 PM
Anonymous said...: One last question for today :) when I get laser done, because of the excessive heat my skin becomes really bumpy (slight swelling in certain areas), is there any calming cream/lotion you could recommend? Currently I'm just putting Aloe Vera Gel on it.

Many thanks,
Hana; December 31, 2010 at 9:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Happy 2011 Mileena!
I found your blog through the NYT http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/the-final-countdown-part-one/
which led me to Kiehls and then a google search brought me here. May I ask .... I have a dark spot on my cheek from hot oil that landed there during cooking many years ago. Can the brown spot be lightened with the Kiehls? Glad to have found this fascinating laboratory you have created. Many thanks! Nancy; January 1, 2011 at 8:09 AM
Mileena said...: Hi Nancy,

Happy New Years too you! <33

I think the Kiehl's Photo Age Corrector is a great product ingredient wise. I never tried it personally but if I had some dark spots I would definitely give it a go. Alone it should lighten pretty well, but used in a proper skin lightening regimen you should see great results.

A complete regimen would be sunscreen daily to prevent further darkening as well as some type of gentle exfoliation like a at-home microdermabrasion product or a AHA based leave-on product (Neostrata, Alpha Hydrox etc.) or peel. :); January 1, 2011 at 12:37 PM
Mileena said...: Hi Hana,

Aloe Vera is great to use post-laser. It's a great calming ingredient.

Eucerin Calming Creme, Avene trixera balm are also both great. But aloe vera is the gold standard. Using a mask of full fat yogurt and raw honey is also excellent at calming and soothing skin.

The products you ordered are all great, but eek! Most of them cannot be used right after a hair removal laser treatment! It's key to avoid any type of alpha hydroxy acid at this point. At least 3-5 days after the procedure.

So Avene Diacneal (which is a great OTC retinoid) shouldn't be used until 3 days after the laser. Same with the MUAC Peel, PC 2% BHA Liquid and DDF Brightening Cleanser. Again, all amazing products but not used within the week of the laser. Give your skin type to heal as laser is pretty touch on the dermis.

Paul & Joe Whitening Serum however can be used. :); January 1, 2011 at 12:44 PM
Randy said...: Ive been on some prescribed medicines... :( im sick. I hate it because my face starts flaring up like hell. Im not sure if if its because of my disease or medication drawbacks :'( what could i do to diminish them? Skin care seems to do nothing against wider problem but i gotta do something!; January 1, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Mileena said...: Oh no, Randy! =((( I'm sorry to hear you're sick. What is the cause of your sickness?

When you mean your skin starts to flare up, do you mean with acne or other forms of irritation. Sometimes topical corticosteroids can help with inflammation/swelling.

It's best to keep your skin balanced and use nothing harsh - no acids, peeling products etc. Sometimes using gentle ingredients like aloe vera (plain) can really be all your skin needs to combat the flare ups or at least deal with them better.
<33333; January 2, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Unknown said...: Hey! Just wanted to remind you about my query for Dr Ci-Labo.
Thanks in advance, Mileena.

Also wanted to ask you, In Paul and Joe - there are two products:
one is a whitening serum and the other Intensive Whitening Essence. Which of the two, do you recommend? and have you tried P&J as yet?
Reference:
http://www.paul-joe-beaute.com/en/index.html#/products_skincare_15; January 8, 2011 at 2:24 AM
Randy said...: Hi, im cured now :) what a relieve :D ive been struggling, praying. every meal was a torture. i suffered from just-like-dengue hemorrhagic fever :p maybe it was the luckiest disease i got coz i was diagnosed when i was half-cured hahaha:D my legs were in pain whoow. my appetite was gone, i didnt eat solid food for 2-3 days :D my hands were spotted with red things. my face was unhealthy. all the symptoms have gone now :) if it was really dengue hemorrhagic fever, it must be because of mosquitoes. beware of them mil. i even start thinking of replacing my lotion with mosquito repellents :D; January 8, 2011 at 5:59 AM
Mileena said...: The intensive whitening essence I hear is excellent but it's not the same thing as the Whitening Serum. It has a distinct bottle design. Here:
http://www.joseibi.com/product.asp?str=6555

I have not tried the P&J but it's going to be my spring/summer skin lightener for sure. I am using a product called Lantomi Skin Lightening Cream right now which IS giving me some lightening in my skin color (very gradually). It's a peptide based lightener but it's a bit emollient/moisturizing. Perfect for winter since my skin is SO dry from the cold and of course just cleansing and using Sofina during the day. In the warmer months I need something more lightweight so I MUST get the P&J, lol. I've been wanting to try it for awhile now.

Thanks for reminding me about the Dr Ci-Labo. I've wanted to look further into it. Their whitening products look AWESOME. I'm gonna look more into the ingredients and if it looks good, I might blog about it here. But I did look at it over at Amazon a few weeks ago and thought their products had impressive active ingredients.

:); January 8, 2011 at 7:19 AM
Mileena said...: @Randy

I'm SO glad to hear you've recovered. Having a bad fever sucks. Knock on wood I haven't had one for years and I was around people with fevers for months in November/December but still didn't get it.

Take it easy for awhile Randy, eat lots of nutritious food and work on strengthening up your immune system. Your body has been through a lot fighting off the fever so eat lots of vitamin c rich foods like fresh fruits (berries, red peppers) and vegetables. You may want to start taking zinc supplements. Ever since I started taking those I haven't gotten sick. They strengthen your immune system as well.

<333; January 8, 2011 at 7:21 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi Mileena,

I got laser hair removal done and I was thinking of trying out the MUAC 40% Lactic Peel. It's been a week after the treatment and my skin is back to normal but I'd still like to wait another week, just to be on the safe side. I wanted to ask you, that for first timers you usually say that we should use the peel for 3 minutes only, but in my case after the laser, should I put itfor 3 minutes or even less then that?

Thanks!
Hana; January 8, 2011 at 8:20 AM
Mileena said...: Hi Hana,

Yes, it's best to be on the safe side. Wait another week before trying a peel. The MUAC 40% Lactic Acid peel is phenomenal - really the best peel out there IMO. I've been using it for 4+ years and it is just amazing at making your skin brighter, more even and very smooth.

Since you did just get laser hair removal recently, using the peel for about 1-2 minutes is probably best. Try it for 60 seconds in the first application and see how your skin fares. At 40% lactic acid, exfoliation is almost instant on the epidermal layer so you'll get exfoliation. Stinging is completely normal and usually happens everytime you apply the peel.

I use it for a max of 5, sometimes 7 minutes. Nothing more is needed for such a strong amount IMO. Just refer to the blog post I made about the MUAC peel. Check out the comments section, I detailed the procedures in there.

http://allaboutskinlightening.blogspot.com/2009/10/product-review-makeup-artists-choice-40.html

<3333; January 8, 2011 at 9:51 AM
Anonymous said...: Thanks Mileena! Will check out the MUAC Peel Section :)

Hana; January 8, 2011 at 11:09 AM
Mileena said...: :); January 8, 2011 at 1:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Mileena,

I used the MUAC Peel last Thursday. I left it on for only 2 min. The next day I noticed some dry patches on my face and then soon after my skin broke out :( Is it possible that I broke out because of the peel? How often do I need to use this peel, to reap it's benefits? :)

Thanks,
Hana; January 18, 2011 at 3:12 PM
Mileena said...: @Hana
This is completely normal. Being that this is one of the first strong peels you've done, experiencing irritation and dry patches is very normal. Just moisturize with a great oil-free moisturizer (Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for sensitive skin OR Clinique Moisture Surge if your dry patches are a bit much).

The breaking out is most likely purging. This happens with peels or any exfoliants. Trapped comedones and acne that was going to surface anyway (remember it often times takes 1-2 weeks for a breakout to surface - purging speeds this up) are what you are seeing.

Stick with it and use the peel two times a week. You need to use it for at least 5-6 weeks consistently like this to reap the lasting benefits of a peel (smoother, more youthful look overall, a brighter skin color, break up of excess pigment etc.)

=); January 18, 2011 at 4:13 PM

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

December's Top 5 Products - Last Post Of The Year!!! =D

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