Skin tone problems...

Sep 18, 2015

TJ H.

I'd like to get someones opinion on discoloration. I have problems around the corneew of my mouth where the skin is a coulle shades darker than the rest of my face. I wear makeup and try to go for a full face routine(concealer, foundation, powder, etc) but even with all of that I find rhat I can still see the darker skin areas on my face and neck. is there any type of soap or facewash to help even skin tone?? (I have dsrk skin btw lol)

Sep 18, 2015

Kat H.

Hi, Autumn!! HECKA long post, here, but it pretty much lists MANY different options you may want to consider! Found this at at a natural beauty tips site:

Approach A: We suggest following lifestyle changes to even out your skin tone.

1. Drink lots of water: Water not only helps in cleansing your skin from the inside out, but also keeps skin wrinkles at bay. It keeps your skin well hydrated and makes your skin looks like plump and baby like.

(I) Drink more water and other fluids, at least 8 ounces of fluid a day.

(ii) Make water your primary drink, shunning sugary drinks, sodas and alcohol. Whereas alcohol robs moisture from your skin to make it looks matured, the sugar and soda causes oil build up and pimples.

(iii) You can add cucumber or lemon slices to your water, if you don’t like the taste of plain water. They not only add a refreshing taste to the water, but also have skin stimulating benefits.

2. Use Sunscreen during day time: The most common cause for an uneven skin tone is sun damaged skin. It not only causes wrinkles and has cancer risk, but can also leads to formation of freckles when you are outside during daylight hours. So wear sunscreen during daytime. If you like, you can wear a hat also.

(I) Although SPF15 is the minimum threshold for sun protection, to have a real protection for your skin from sun damage go for at least SPF 30.

(ii) Make a practice to apply sunscreen every day, even if it’s cloudy outside. 80% of the damaging sun rays can penetrate cloud covers, so you can get sun damaged skin even when it’s gray and rainy.

(iii) Ensure that the SPF you are using has both UVA and UVB protection. Whereas the UVA rays from the sun are responsible for skin wrinkles and age spots, the UVB rays cause burning of your skin.

(I've) A word of caution is not to use tanning beds and also avoid lying out in the sun for hours.

3. Avoid Junk Foods: Avoid and if not possible then at least limit consumption of junk foods and eat fresh fruits and vegetables instead. The chemicals, oils and sugar contained in the junk foods trigger your skin to produce more oil that can clogs your pores leading to uneven skin tone. Include in your diet fresh fruits and vegetables, especially blueberries and salmon, which are rich source of antioxidants and thus are very helpful in evening out your skin complexion.

4. Do exercises regularly: Exercises not only keep you healthy and slim, but also helps to produce new skin cells that contribute a lot in keeping your skin tone even and young. You do not require doing heavy workouts to get even complexion skin. Just do as much which is enough to get your blood pumping for a few minutes daily. If you sweat after workout, be sure to wash to clean oil and dirt from your face to avoid getting them trapped into your skin pores to avoid acne breakout and uneven skin tone.

Approach B: We suggest following beauty techniques to even your skin tone by using Beauty Products

1. Exfoliating your skin: Dead skin cells, developed over time on the skin surface, give your skin an uneven tone and aged look. By exfoliating your skin you can slough off such dead skin cells so that newer, young skin can glows through to give your skin complexion a revitalized appearance.

(I) You can exfoliate your skin up to twice a day. But the people with sensitive skin should exfoliate less often.

(ii) You can make a natural ingredients exfoliator at home by mixing organic sugar with honey. Rub this mixture onto your face using fingers in small circular motions, followed by a rinse with warm water to slough off dead skin cells. For those who like to have a softer exfoliant can mix oatmeal with honey instead of sugar.

(iii) If you like, you can go for a good quality chemical exfoliator or special exfoliating brush that you can buy from a local drug store.

(I've) In case if you don’t mind spending a little extra for the sake of having an even complexioned skin, then you may go for purchasing an electric exfoliator. Like an electric toothbrush, they work by using a specialized moving electric brush to wash your face to clean skin pores and consequently make your skin even toned and soft.

2. Using Face Mask: Consider applying a face mask to reduce redness, evening out complexion and texture of the skin on your face.

(I) You can purchase a good quality face mask of your choice from a local beauty or drug store. You can select face mask depending upon the desired outcomes, like reducing redness, managing age spots, evening skin tone, smoothing skin complexion, etc.

(ii) You can make a natural ingredients face mask at home by mixing together a mashed banana and honey. Form a thick paste out of these two and apply it onto your face. Let it sit for ten minutes on your face, followed by rinsing your face with warm water.

3. Using Face Peels: They are a kind of face mask or gel that employ healthy mild acids to dissolve the dead skin cells. Face peels are used to even out your skin complexion and eliminate topmost layer of the skin that has become old and look dull with skin discoloration.

(I) In case you are having acne or acne scarring, try a face peel that is made with salicylic acid.

(ii) In case of having wrinkle problems, use a face peel that has glycolic acid to manage your face wrinkles.

(iii) Read instructions carefully on the label and wash off face peel with warm water when the given time limit is over. This way you can prevent over-exfoliating of your face.

(I've) Never use face peel in case you are having eczema, rosacea or other similar skin problems, since these conditions can get worsened due the acids present in the face peels.

4. Using Skin Spot Removers: Sun damaged skin or ageing can lead to undesired skin pigmentation. In such cases you can try skin spot removers to get rid of dark spots on your skin.

(I) Some of the spot removers can remove both sun spots and age spots. In case of those who are having both, they can try such dual purpose spots remover.

(ii) A word of caution is that in case of freckles, a kind of sun-spots, the spot remover may not work to lighten such spots.

(iii) For those who want to use natural way to remove spots, we suggest a natural spot remover – lemon juice. The acid in the juice capable of bleaching the spots. Apply lemon juice on your dark spots and let it remain there for about ten minutes, followed by rinsing the juice off with water.

5. Using Moisturizers: Always moisturize after exfoliating. It not only reduces flaky, dry skin, but also even out skin complexion and keep your skin smooth.

(I) There is a wide range of moisturizers available depending upon your specific needs – from dry to oily or wrinkled skin.

(ii) Also go for those moisturizers that are high in vitamin E and antioxidants.

(iii) Consider a moisturizer that contains an SPF.

Approach C: We suggest following Natural Ways to Even out Skin Tone

1. Applying Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is acidic in nature, so applying it onto your skin helps in balancing pH, which is a critical requirement for an even toned skin. The lemon juice contains citric acid and thus its application on to skin not only a natural way to lighten skin, but also a natural way to even out skin complexion. The procedure is also very simple to follow. Just apply lemon juice on to your skin and let it sit for a while, and then wash it off.

Cautions:

(I) Never go out into the sun with lemon juice sitting on your skin, as it would wreck your skin tone and cause redness and irritation.

(ii) Do not apply lemon juice if you are having cuts or bruises on your skin, as it would cause them to burn.

2. Applying Oatmeal Paste: Oatmeal is another natural way to even skin complexion, as it works as an exfoliating agent that helps in eliminating dirt and grime from your skin to make your skin surface toned up. The procedure is very simple. Just mix oatmeal with a bit of honey to form a thick paste. Apply the mixture onto your skin and rub it with your fingers in small circular motions. After a while wash off all the paste from your face.

3. Applying Organic Honey: Honey acts as a moisturizer and has antibacterial properties. Its antibacterial properties work to diminish the size of acne scars and blemishes. It deposits moisture into your skin to prevent your skin from getting too dry. Dryness of your skin can damage it and thus can leads to uneven skin tone.

4. Applying Milk: Milk is an effective natural way to lighten and soften your skin and thus can even out skin tone further.

It’s very useful for people having flaky and dry skin. Its application onto your skin can lessen the appearance of darker blemishes and scars.

Sep 18, 2015

Kat H.

You may have to try many different things - even combos of things - to determine what works best for you and your skin type. Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be!!

Sep 18, 2015

Jasmine C.

Kat has an extensive list hahaha What I would recommend is sunscreen as well and also a really great toner with no alcohol in it. Also exfoliating is important but I personally only exfoliate every other day because I have sensitive skin.

Sep 18, 2015

TJ H.

Thanks ladies! thus helps a bunch!!^^

Sep 18, 2015

Aurora S.

Or just use a fade cream and lots of sunscreen. You can find fade cream at like Walmart. They're creams that can help brighten up areas.

Sep 19, 2015

Shelley W.

I have the same exact issue in my chin region and if I don't stay on top of my skincare program then its quick to go dark on me. Don't bother with the fade creams...been there done that and it caused me more agony in the long run. Sunscreen every single day is my best friend followed by exfoliating. Some of the products I use to keep it in check: M-61 Power Glow Peels, M-61 Fast Blast, Philosophy Turbo Booster C Powder in mixed in with my daytime serum. Josie Maran Moisturizing SPF 47. And for the past couple of months I've been using Nude Skincare Rescue Oil on top of Nude Skincare Treatment Milk. The Rescue Oil actually has a natural retinol component and retinol is great at addressing hyper pigmentation issues. I was using a retinol cream from RoC but after several years of use I decided to step outside my comfort zone and try something different. Within a three month period I dealt with a major skin reaction due to meds and two bouts of heat rash that caused some minor scarring and darkening of my chin. I would have to say that within several weeks of aggressive treatment (meaning I didn't skip a day) I saw some lightening/brightening occur in the affected areas. There are a few more items that I use in rotation but the one's I listed are my true ride and die skin lifesavers. Especially those Power Peels from M-61. As a WOC of color we especially have to be very careful of what we put on our skin to deal with hyper pigmentation because some ingredients can cause our skin to darken and turn ashy on us...especially lemon juice (had that lil experiment when I was in junior high...and I diluted it too).