Skin Lightening Treatments – Benefits, Results & Costs

Overview | Skin lightening treatments | Self-care for the future | Skin whitening vs. skin lightening | Who should avoid skin lightening

Every time you step out of the house, you expose yourself to the sun, pollution, bacteria, and a lot of other harmful elements. These make your skin dull, rough, dry, and dark. You may start to look older than you really are, which can greatly hurt anybody’s confidence. Thankfully, there is a way to solve this problem.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, a lot of effective skin lightening treatments have been recently developed that can restore your glowing, youthful skin. We, at The Bombay Skin Clinic, are here to help give you a fresh, brighter, and rejuvenated face!

Let’s dive deep into the options available to give your facial skin a new lease on life.

Types of skin brightening/skin lightening treatments

In our clinic, we offer a great range of skin brightening treatments and skin lightening treatments that can help you regain a fresher-looking appearance. You can find the detailed list below:

1. Medifacials – A medi-facial is a medical-grade facial that is used to treat certain skin conditions and it is generally considered safe for every type of skin. Medi-facials involve the use of various devices and multiple constituents like peel, microdermabrasion, Photo rejuvenation LED therapy, microcurrents, and the like. They are more effective than normal spa facials because they can deeply penetrate the skin. This gives you results that last longer.
2. Chemical peels – Chemical peels are used to remove the upper layer of your skin, so a healthier and smoother layer can regrow. This treatment works best for people who want to fix the discoloration of their face. However, chemical peels may not be the right course of treatment for you if you have used certain medications during the last few months, have a darker complexion, have skin pigmentations that are abnormal, have a history of cold sore outbreaks, or if you have overgrown scar tissues in the targeted areas. The result may vary from patient to patient and the depth of skin peeling. We undertake a detailed skin examination helps to determine each patient’s health and determine the best peel type for them, to ensure maximum effect and least irritation or discomfort.
3. Laser-like Spectra Carbon Peel – This contemporary skin lightening treatment is safe and effective for most types of skin. It reduces pigmentation and evens out your skin tone. If you have brown patches on your skin, especially on forehead, bridge of the nose, chin, cheeks, and above the upper lip, you are the ideal candidate.The benefits of Spectra Carbon Peel include reduction of pigmentation, improved skin tone, reduction of enlarged and clogged pores, reduction of skin dullness, improved collagen production, no downtime, combinability with other treatments, and more.
4. Anti-Clock facial – This is a signature facial at our clinic, designed by Dr Batul Patel herself. It is a seven-step facial to treat dry, sagging, and dehydrated skin. We begin the treatment by cleansing the face of all dirt and makeup with a gentle vitamin C cleanser, and follow this up with applying a high-speed micro-jet spray to exfoliate and hydrate simultaneously. Next, we massage an enzymatic peel with pineapple extract and vitamin C into the face. For adding the brightness quotient, a brightening radiance lotion is applied. This lotion contains scutellaria to fight free radicals and licorice to lighten the complexion.
5. Hydradermabrasion – If you are looking for non-invasive skin lightening treatments, hydradermabrasion may be a good choice. It uses serum and water-based pressurization technique to exfoliate the upper layer of your skin. When the damaged and dead skin cells are removed, it resurfaces a healthier, more hydrated, and younger looking skin layer. For this, we use a diamond-tip device to control the water pressure to treat the targeted areas effectively at our clinic. The procedure is pain free, fast, effective, improves skin tone, reduces pore size, hydrates the skin, and brightens up your face.
6. Microdermabrasion – Microdermabrasion was one of the best skin brightening treatments that could improve your overall skin texture and tone. It can cure a range of skin-related issues, including a dull skin complexion. This is a safe procedure that can work on almost all skin colors and types. Hence, it is perfect for someone who wants to lighten their skin tone and get their youthfulness back, as noted by the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology.
7. Glutathione skin whitening – According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, this is one of the most widely popular skin lightening treatments for darker skin. Glutathione is an antioxidant, which is now being called a wonder chemical for its ability to effectively lighten any skin tone. It can be used to lighten your skin tone using many different methods. Your dermatologist can determine whether you need a IV Therapy Glutathione injection, pill, or lotion. Some of its side effects may include rashes, allergies, dizziness, and vomiting. In extreme cases, the use of Glutathione can lead to kidney or liver damage, and even cancer. The efficacy of the treatment depends largely on how deeply your skin is affected by pigmentation.
8. Hydroquinone – This depigmenting agent inhibits melanin formation on your skin to treat any area that has become darker due to any reason, as noted by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. While this treatment is used by many, doctors may not recommend it for you under certain circumstances. Hydroquinone is a medicine that might react badly with certain other drugs and have side effects such as dermatitis, dryness, redness, inflammation, and skin irritation. We would also like to point out that it only works best on fairer skin. In some cases, it may worsen hyperpigmentation. In rare cases, it may bring about ochronosis, a skin condition of bluish-black pigmentation and papules. This can happen after daily use long-term; hence, we do generally do not recommend it.

Self-care or precautions to take in the future

After skin lightening treatments, we always recommend that you start using chemical-free products to wash your face. During the entire recovery period, use petroleum jelly or aloe vera gel on the treated areas for soothing your skin. Your skin becomes more sensitive after the treatment, so start using a quality sunscreen and avoid touching the treated areas or scrubbing your face harshly for a few days. If there is any swelling or pain, our doctors might suggest using ointments and painkillers.

A wonderful thing to do for your skin is to follow a good simple skin routine daily. The basic rule of thumb is to use a good face wash, a sunscreen you like using, a Vitamin C serum, and a Retinol or lightening cream like azelaic acid, glycolic acid, or Kojic acid every night to boost the results.

Skin whitening vs. skin lightening

Skin whitening techniques uses a lot of different chemicals, including hydroquinone, to bleach your skin. These are toxic, harmful chemicals that can harm your skin further. On the other hand, skin brightening or lightening therapies treat the melanin concentrations in your skin more gently and without many risks to make your skin younger-looking. They fade out unwanted blemishes more naturally.

How much does skin lightning treatment cost?

There are varied procedures for performing the skin lightening treatments. Depending on the treatment, technology and number of sessions required, skin lightening treatments start as low as Rs. 2,500.

When to avoid these treatments

There are varied procedures for performing the skin lightening treatments. While most of these are very effective, not everyone is eligible to undergo them. While skin resurfacing techniques for skin brightening can be harmful for people with certain pre-existing medical conditions, the medicine-based treatments can react with any drugs you might be using. This is why an experienced dermatologist will always enquire about your medical history to determine if you should receive the treatment or not.

At The Bombay Skin Clinic, we take into account your entire physical condition, allergies, medications you are taking, and past skin treatments to thoroughly assess the suitability and safety of any skin lightening treatment for you.

Closing paragraph

From regular exposure to the sun to specific medical conditions, you skin can suddenly start to get darker for different reasons. In order to get your natural complexion back, you can opt for skin lightening treatments. Call our clinic to book an appointment and let us help you achieve the radiantly young appearance you have always wanted!

References

1. Harvard Health Publishing: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/younger-skin-without-surgery
2. American Academy of Dermatology: https://www.aad.org/public/cosmetic/age-spots-marks/skin-lightener-containing-mercury-cause-health-problems#
3. National Center for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5808366/
4. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(06)03278-6/abstract
5. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology: http://www.ijdvl.com/article.asp?issn=0378-6323;year=2007;volume=73;issue=4;spage=277;epage=279;aulast=Savardekar