Not all dark spots are created equal.
If you don't know by now, a good sunblock and skincare routine is essential to ensuring your skin stays healthy and firm, while keeping age spots away and
maintaining its translucency. But more than just keeping the effects of harmful UV rays at bay, internal stressors such as emotional stress can cause you to suffer from hyperpigmentation - that is, the formation of dark spots and discolouration on your skin.
What's more, pigmentation issues present another problem when dark spots appear at random since there is no way to predict where they will next appear.
Couple this with the fact that Asian skin is one of the most delicate in the world, and you get a combination that leads to skin that is easily irritated and more prone to producing melanin, which is what causes dark spots to appear.
To combat them, we round up some of the newest brightening systems and whitening products to help you compare and contrast their benefits when you make your next trip down to the beauty counters. There is a skincare routine to suit every budget and need.
SK-II -- A Smart Whitening solution
It could be UV rays or pollution, but the effects of these environment factors often cause uneven stress on skin.
Misa Ito, SK-II Global Principal Scientist and Scientific Communications Manager, shared consumer findings that revealed that pigmentation problems are
often unpredictable.
This means spots appear at random and it is difficult to predict which ones will become stubborn spots that may give rise to future problems. That spots can be so unpredictable are caused by "floating hydrogen peroxide", which can move around in the skin and cause these stubborn spots.
The latest addition to the SK-II Whitening Source range is the Whitening Source Derm-Revival Program ($160 for 6 pieces).
It is a stretchable mask that is used together with a dissolvable film that offers intense, focused treatment to lighten such spots. An innovative product that holds as much as seven times Vitamin B3 than a single drop of Whitening Source DermDefinition - the brand's original answer to melanin production in skin. The film also contains DMT Blocker, an amalgamation of an advanced complex containing Vitamin C derivative, Pitera and Niacinamide, Inositol - a skin conditioning agent, and yeast amino peptide.
Place one piece of film an area that is of concern, then layer with the stretchable mask to deliver and enhance penetration of whitening actives, and wait until the former melts into skin, which takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
Follow with Whitening Source DermDefinition UV Lotion with SPF50 ($102 for 60g) that offers high UV protection before applying make-up.
Recommendation: Use this if you have pigmentation problems caused by over-exposure to sun or UV rays.
Skinceuticals -- Internal protection from free radical damage
By now, most of us are familiar with that fact that anti-oxidants can help to keep free radicals in the skin at bay.
Skinceuticals pioneered the advent of cosmoceuticals with the use of L-ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C - a known anti-oxidant - as a topical application to protect skin from premature ageing caused by environmental pollution. Then, research scientists found that adding one percent alpha tocopherol, or Vitamin E to 15 percent of Vitamin C increases protection for skin against free radical damage to two times.
CE Ferulic ($239 for 30ml), its latest formulation, now provides eight times the amount of protection for skin from free radical damage with the addition of ferulic acid to the mix. Ferulic acid helps to stabilise the combination of Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which is then absorbed easily by skin.
It is also shown to prevent thymine dimers, DNA mutations that are associated with skin cancer.
Dr Sheldon R. Pinnell, professor of dermatology at Duke University in North Carolina, US and the consultant dermatologist who worked on this formulation
advises that such results are not achievable if you consume Vitamin E and C orally. It is only helpful when you apply the formula to skin directly.
Used daily, the formulation is shown to remain protective for up to four days, and it cannot be washed or rubbed off after application, as skin will fully absorb the formula.
Recommendation: Use this if you are out in the sun a lot and require more intensive UV protection. CE Ferulic is also suitable for use before and after post invasive and non-invasive procedures such as laser and peeling.
Origins - A brighter complexion naturally
If you have ever popped a pimple, you will notice that the area surrounding the pimple usually becomes inflamed and turns a darker shade of brown. Skin gets discoloured as it will release melanin, which causes the darker pigmentation, as a natural defense against further damage.
Origins' Brighter by Nature Collection addresses stressed out skin with a holistic approach. Its range of face wash, treatment lotion, anti-stress serum, moisture lotion and spot treatment reveals brighter skin with a formula.
The collection boasts a combination of plant extracts to aid your way to clearer skin. Apple and cucumber extracts work together to thwart tyrosinase - the "helper enzyme" that produces spots. Japanese basil leaf, burnet and yeast extracts discourage discolouration and help to break up spots quickly.
Sunflower seed cake aids the skin in repairing its natural protective barrier and locks in moisture.
A combination of essential oils, including lime, white grapefruit, spearmint help to uplift spirits, while lemongrass chamomile, clary sage, spearmint and chamomile help to soothe and calm.
