If you want your skin to be lighter, you can try using a skin lightening cream. This is a topical treatment that changes the way your skin functions. Don’t be alarmed though. What happens is that ingredients in the cream inhibit the skin pigment melanin. This is the pigment that gives your skin its color, but it also tries to protect it from damage and this is when you get darker areas on your skin as the melanin rushes to defend the skin. The darker someone’s skin, the more melanin it has. That is why dark skinned people can spend longer time in the sun, because they have more melanin protecting their skin. The sun of course is one of the main causes of damage to the skin.
So, basically, to lighten your skin you need to change the way it works a little bit. Just realize that this can take time and your skin needs a while to replace the damaged skin with the new skin.
Let’s take a brief look at two of the most popular skin lightening ingredients.
Hydroquinone is the most popular chemical used in skin lightening products, and is very controversial. Some say it can cause cancer and other problems, while many insist there is not enough evidence to make that claim. As with most skin lightening ingredients, Hydroquinone will inhibit melanin, giving the skin a chance to change to a lighter color.
Be very careful when using a cream containing this. No more than a 2% concentration should be used, and even then with extreme caution. If you see any adverse effects, stop use immediately.
Alpha-arbutin, the natural skin lightening compound.
Next, from the bearberry plant, we have alpha-arbutin. This is arguably the most effective natural skin lightening ingredient out there. Best of all, it is not irritating and it is safe to use. If you want to use a safe and natural cream it is useful to consider one that contains alpha-arbutin as an active ingredient. One of the creams containing this is Meladerm. You can read Meladerm reviews to find out just how effective this product is. This is a natural skin lightening cream which has proven to be very effective for many people. You can much rather give it a try than going with some kind of chemical formulation.