hyperpigmentation is a known issue among the asians . i personally suffer from it as well. my skin will leave mark for any scratch, blisters, blemishes or acne.
we have over the counter creams, medications and natural remedies to solve the issue.
so i would like everyone to share their success stories if any or a know solution. please note down the nature of the remedy : creams from the drugstores, medications or natural…and specify the method of applications as well as the lentgh of time expected to see some positives results.
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
Paris, I have this problem too where my skin is sensitive. The one time when I didn't wash off the lactic acid peel off completely(I thought I put enough water and baking soda+water on it as much as possible) but the tiny part near my mouth that I might have neglected is now pigmented after I got a blister and it left that tiny part darker after the blister healed. So the remedy can also be a problem for me. I need to start testing on an unseen part of my skin before I attempt to use it on my face.
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
Paris, I have this problem too where my skin is sensitive. The one time when I didn't wash off the lactic acid peel off completely(I thought I put enough water and baking soda+water on it as much as possible) but the tiny part near my mouth that I might have neglected is now pigmented after I got a blister and it left that tiny part darker after the blister healed. So the remedy can also be a problem for me. I need to start testing on an unseen part of my skin before I attempt to use it on my face.
have you tried chemical peel as well as baking soda paste?i am slighlty confused here..
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
^Just the lactic acid peel and I used the baking soda and water to remove it because it neutralizes the acidity from the peel. The peel has to be removed that way. I'm using just whole milk on that tiny part to remove the pigmentation now since i'm too scared to use the peel again.
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
^ Global: If it helps any, I don't mix the baking soda with water to neutralize. First I get water on my hands and rub the water on my face (avoiding the eyes) so the skin is wet. Then I simply taking baking soda (on its own) and put that all over face. The wet skin helps baking soda stick to the face. It almost becomes like a white paste all over my face. Kinda like a mask. This way I see exactly what I've covered. Of course, I apply baking soda on ANY place I've missed. This way I guarantee that no acid is left behind.
BTW, not sure why you're scared to use the peel again. You know how to do it properly and you know what went wrong to cause the pigmentation. The peel itself is safe. If you did it again, you just need to be more diligent about making sure ALL spots are neutralized.
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
To answer the topic of the thread, the best remedies to hyper pigmentation is retin-a and lactic acid peel.
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
But Paheli00, I only put the peel around my mouth and no where else on my face since hyper pigmentation tends to exist only there and I tried your way of putting the water on first and then putting the baking soda but the soda granules were too rough on the burn so then I tried to mix the water and soda together so the baking soda would soften a bit and apply it and then tried a whole bunch of water too but the skin still burned like the peel was still on the skin so it was on the skin for a while. I don't know what I did wrong. That's when the blister happened. I might try it again on the arm just to test it again.
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
^ What % was the peel and how long did you keep it on for? Did the area frost (ie. turn whitish) by the time you applied the baking soda?
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
^ What % was the peel and how long did you keep it on for? Did the area frost (ie. turn whitish) by the time you applied the baking soda?
This was a year ago.
40% and I left it on for about 10 minutes and washed it off all three ways but I think since I thought it was off my skin I went about my day but there was still a burn which made me think it was still on my skin. it took a couple more washes before the burning stopped It's just in the tiny corner of my mouth, the hyperpigmentation but I wish I could clear it out. My skin was sensitive to hydroquinone(for facial hair since my mom wouldn't let me use wax) too which was originally the reason my skin around my mouth is a bit more pigmented and the reason i'm trying to get rid of the pigmentation on that part.
Guessing the % is too high or 10 minutes was too long. Are we supposed to feel anything on the skin when we leave it on for the right amount of time?
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
^ I read post #7](http://www.paklinks.com/gs/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=7) several times and have no idea what happened. Even when my skin frosts from peels, I still don’t get a blister. For it to blister from the peel, it would have to go REALLY deep! I use 40% LA peel on my entire face and can leave it on for 7-10 minutes without any issues. 40% is the beginner strength and unless your skin is just SUPER sensitive, I’ve never heard of LA peels causing blister within 10 minutes. Was this your 1st time using it?
If you’re going to use the peel on a tiny corner of the mouth then it may not be worth it to go through that hassle lol. Have you ever tried Kojic Acid? Google and look into it. I’ve used it before & it helped. Of course, keeping in mind I also use retin a so that helps ALL other products work better. The brand I used was Cape Fear 4% Kojic Acid from Amazon.
With LA and glycolic peels, most people (including me) start to feel a tingling sensation after a while. This time varies depending on how sensitive your skin is. I’ve heard some people don’t feel ANYTHING even after 15 minutes! And other are so sensitive that its almost a slight burning sensation after a minute or two. For me the tingling starts after about 4-5 minutes and a slight burning sensation starts at 7-8 minutes. Around 7-8 I also start seeing my skin getting a bit pinkish. I don’t want my face to look pinkish or swollen at all the next day so I usually neutralize around that time. But if I know I’ll be staying home for the next day or two, I have left it on for 10-12 minutes. Point being for everyone the experience is different.
You should neutralize the peel if the tingling/burning sensation is too painful for you. Uncomfortable is ok but painful is not. If you see hints of white appear, that means the skin “frosted” and should be neutralized immediately. If frosting occurs, it also means you need to be extra careful b/c healing with take a few days. The white part will scab over and fall off. Skin is SUPER sensitive at the time. Do not even pick at those scabs b/c it could lead to hyper pigmentation.
P.S. If you want to test a peel or any other product you’re planning on using on your face, the best place to test is is on your jawline.
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
I did actually try it again on Friday and I left it on for 5 minutes and did all three ways of removing it and my skin seems fine. I might have left it on for too long last time and that's why the reaction to it or it just didn't get removed properly.
The reason I only put on the parts that are discolored is because that portion would match the rest of my skin color that is not discolored.
Could I try the 85% peel. The higher percentage means its stronger right and leave it on for 5 minutes?
I looked at the reviews for the cape fear kojic acid you mentioned. Did it work for you to even out skintone?
Re: best solutions for pigmentations - your remedy
Could I try the 85% peel. The higher percentage means its stronger right and leave it on for 5 minutes?
No. I wouldn't recommend going up at a high % right now...and no way you should jump from 40% to 85%! Keep doing the 40% once a week. Since 5 minutes worked fine this time....next time try to bump it to 6 minutes. If that goes fine then 7 the next week. Slowly like this see if you can bump it to 12-15 minutes. Please make sure you use sunscreen. Once your skin handles it well for up to...let's say 15 minutes.....if you want, then may look into getting 50% or 55% and start the process all over again (ie. start with 5 minutes and work your way up).
I looked at the reviews for the cape fear kojic acid you mentioned. Did it work for you to even out skintone?
Yes it worked for me. But I also used Retin A at the same time which helped too. Without RA, from what I've read online, it takes longer to see results. But if you're going to re-start on the LA peels, I wouldn't do the cream on top. If you're doing the LA peel once a week, best to let the skin heal without any other acids during the week.