Everyone wants a nice even skintone and most of us were born with one.  Unfortuinately, with time and with different skin experiences (acne, medication, rashes etc.) many lose that even skintone and would love to get it back.  This post should help you make good decisions when trying to get your even and glowing skintone back.  Remember, when you know better, you can do better.

The three of the biggest offenders that I run into in my practice with clients who are trying to even their skin tones are over exfoliating, not wearing sunblock and using harsh lighteners.  I will explain briefly why these practices can keep you from your skin goals.

Most new clients reveal during consultation that they are really good at exfoliating...even to the point of experiencing pain.  I then remind them that generally if your skin hurts, there is residual discoloration (examples would be popping a pimple or a scratch or cut to the skin).  Buff puff’s, St. Ives scrub (everyone seems to own this product), a face cloth, loofah and sometimes your hand can be used to over-exfoliate the skin until it’s sensitive.  Once sensitive, and exposed to the sun during casual daily exposure these sensitive areas become dark.

Many people do not wear sunblock, especially when the skin is darker the thought is that sun protection is not needed.  I can’t tell you how many times the response to my advice to wear sunblock is “my great grandmother was 100 years old when she died and she looked like she was 30 years old and she never wore sun block”.  My response is always the same “the ozone layer which helps to protect our skin was intact when your great grandmother was young, that’s not the case anymore.  Damaging rays are getting through all the holes and loss of integrity that exists in the ozone layer making sunblock a MUST right now, and that’s for everybody”!

Lastly, brighteners and lighteners can be good when they are not too aggressive and are used with sunblock.  It’s best to see a professional dermatologist or esthetician who can discuss with you the safest options for correcting your discoloration.

P.S. Make sure to check out my article on hydration and discoloration here.