Bye Bye Pigmentation
Pretty Dianella Ensifolia (Border Silver)
One of the more annoying things about winter is the gradual realisation that our friend the sun has created some permanent kisses to our skin. Almost like a hickey, but not really! These gentle kisses are quite stealth in nature because at the time we think they’re warm and fuzzy and great, but later… months or years… we see faint reminders that become darker and more visible. And they’ll irritate the hell out of us. They’ll have us cursing at our sunscreen for not applying itself on the days we forgot. We’ll remember teenage years spent cooking on the beach and we’ll cuss at the thought of it. Because the worst thing about these frustrating sun-reminders is that they mottle our complexion, so when we’re trying to replicate the gorgeous models on the international catwalks (who are mere babies but that’s beside the point) with porcelain faces, we can’t. Unless we go beserk with concealor. Which ruins the whole ‘natural’ look we’re after.
Pigmentation. Dark spots. Age spots. Whatever you call it, for most of us they start to appear around the time we hit our 30s and will keep progressively occuring until we die. Yes, that’s grim but sadly it’s the truth.
Battling these to get a flawless complexion has become the number one skin concern for women across the world. Thought it was wrinkles? Nope. We’ve managed to find ways of reducing them to smithereens. We’ve got an arsenal of products to wipe those puppies out. Wrinkles are SO 2008. Pigmentation is where it’s at.
Sadly, most of us will have encountered this concern, or will. This is because there are a few different types of pigmentation: hyperpigmentation due to sun exposure (when UV hits our skin our crazy little melanocytes become hyperactive, triggering tyrosinase activity and the overproduction of melanin is the result); hyperpigmenation due to scars, infection or other irritation; melasma or chlorasma (hormonal triggers from pregnancy or the contraceptive pill – UV exacerbates); hereditary freckles.
Pigmentation is not fussy – it doesn’t depend on skin type or colour, it will strike anywhere! For years its mostly been of concern in Asian countries, where the upper class consider tanned skin to represent the peasants working in the fields. Now, well, now we all seem to want to sort this problem out.
Enter Clinique’s Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, $120. I like to call it ‘miracles in a jar’. I’ve been using it for two-and-a-half months and I’m happy to report that my slight pigmentation on my cheekbones has gone. Pfft!
Even Better Dark Spot Corrector has been compared to prescription only products with a verified success rate of 53% improvement in skin tone after 12 weeks use. Dubbed by Clinique as the ‘damage eraser’, it’s gentle, non-irritating and is great on skin that might react to other skin brightening treatments.
Here’s why -
It’s got CL-302 Complex: plant-derived technology that has a rare botanical extract from Dianella Ensifolia (Border Silver) – a powerful antioxidant. It also has a potent Vitamin C, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Blackout Yeast Extract and Glucosamine and Salicylic Acid. So the antioxidant mops up the damage causing free radicals, Vit C reduces the appearance of spots, Blackout Yeast breaks up the clusters of pigment and Glucosamine and Salicylic Acid exfoliate that shit out.
Blah blah… the thing is, for me it worked a treat! So how do you use it?
Apply twice a day after cleansing, toning avoiding the immediate eye area, follow with a moisturiser – try the Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer SPF 20 for best results.
Most importantly, use it for a good three months… it has a lot to do on a below-the-surface level. It’s not going to repair in a week, or even two. So if at first you think, ‘what the heck??’ Perservere.
But if you’re really bothered by pigmentation and suspect it’s deeper, darker and meaner than you first thought go to a dermatologist and get it checked out. Truly persistent pigmentation require IPL and follow up creams. They also require you to keep out of the sun! So winter is the Prrrrrfect time for this kind of treatment. Zap!
Some prescription creams will contain 4%Hydroquinone – considered the ‘gold standard’ for successfully treating this concern. Unfortunately hydroquinone has taken a bad rap lately so it’s slipped from teachers pet status to ratbag in the corner. The jury is still out so most cosmetic formulators have tried to find alternatives which is where this uber cream slinks in dancing prettily. It aint got any hydroquinone in it but it works just as effectively! High five to Clinique.
Tamsin xo
