Age/Brown spots, Hyperpigmentation, Melasma

I noticed my first spot in 2007 after a year worth of tanning on a bed. I never liked wearing cover up but had to start to cover my spot. The spot appeared on my right cheek, under my eye near my nose. I invested in all sorts of skin brighteners from Concha Nacar to the expensive ones they sell at Macy's and Nordstroms. None of them did the trick so I started exfoliating and getting facials on a regular basis, didn't work. Then I noticed another brown spot by my ear on the same side in 2008 and an identical spot on the other cheek in 2009. By then I was using a primer and blush along with my cover up. In 2010 I discovered a new brown spot on my forehead and that was my drawing stick. I started researching products like Obagi Nu-Derm, and laser treatments. I decided to go to a dermatologist that specialized in a variety of things and had good reviews.

They did a photo complexion analysis on me (which was free) that looked at wrinkles, spots, pores, evenness, bacteria in pores, and UV spots. I past most them with flying colors, with the exception of UV spots. The darker the spots are on the picture the deeper they are, hence you have to go through more layers of skin to remove. The one on my forehead and near my ear were light, however the ones on my cheeks that had become mirrored images of each other were very dark. The dermatologist said the lighter ones were more than likely sun damage, but that the dark ones almost seemed like Melasma. She wasn't a doctor so she couldn't diagnose Melasma, but her hint was loud and clear. Melasma is caused by hormones and has to be diagnosed by a doctor. It is common in women who use birth control and low and behold I have been on it for over a decade on and off, but more on than off. I didn't go to a doctor because in my experience if I tell them I think I have it, they tell me I have it.

Next we talked about treatments and to my dismay lasers are typically only used on women with fair skin, not olive, or dark because there are risks of more pigmentation coming out. Thus making the situation worse. We talked about 2 different type of peels one that is stronger and comes with a full line of products called Melanage ($825) and TCA ($95) peels that work gradually. Melanage sounded very similar to Obagi Nu-derm ($500) so I asked what the difference was and she said Obagi was a more aggressive treatment

. I decided to go with the TCA peels and a brightener ($60) that I started using before my first peel. The TCA peels are composed of trichloroacetic acid. There is a light and medium version, which means the light one is more diluted than the medium. When you first start off they do the light one in two layers.

They put on the first layer and observe how your skin reacts, and then put on the second layer. The same goes for the medium peel. The skin brightening serum is an in-house product that contains asorbic acid, kojic acid*, green tea, salicylic acid, and hydroquinone*. The ingredients with the asterisk are key ingredients and are what make the product work, so if you are buying stuff over the counter make sure it has these in it.
I started using the brightener as soon as I got home as saw results the next morning, loved it. I kept applying it and it kept lightening up the spots. When I had my first peel it tingled and itched like crazy during the procedure, it started peeling a little 3 days after the process but that was it, nothing major. I know it takes patience to see results and I was a happy camper with my brightener. The second peel which was stronger, did not feel as strong during application but it peeled the next day vigorously and continued for about 5 days. My skin felt smooth, tight, and the spots looked like they were breaking apart. On the downside I did notice my pores had more texture and black heads a few weeks after. I hate black heads, it's one of my pet peeves, so I started removing them which irritated my skin. So I stopped using the brightener until my skin felt better, and there were those mingy spots again.

So I learned that the brightener works, you just have to keep using it. I had the microdermabrasion ($125) done yesterday and I love the way my skin looks and feels. The pores are a lot smaller, there is a glow to it, and everything glides on. I have to decide if I want to take the peel path or the microdermabrasion path my next visit in 4 weeks. I'm leaning towards microdermabrasion and I still want to do the Obagi system since it is more aggressive, cost less, and is monitored by an RN.

I will post pictures of the spots after I take off my make up so you see what I'm working with. Since not all of you live in the area, there is a brightening gel below with a good concentration of hydroquinone.

Good Night!