Welcome to a brighter future

My childhood smelled a lot like the Pearl Paste my grandmother would slather on her face before she went to bed. She claimed that it would bring her skin back to its porcelain-like splendor. Even in my youth, I simply shook my head and wished her well with whatever rocked her boat.

Skin whiteners have always gotten a lot of flak when it comes to customer confidence. They are either treated with utter suspicion or used with impossible expectations. There have been many risky treatments that have left the skin more marred than smooth, same for harsh bleaches that mysteriously find their way to supermarket shelves without being tested by proper authorities.

Big cosmetic companies continue to hawk skin-whitening products in Asia. Asians, despite the worldwide Brazilian boom, still like having the pallor of a Victorian lady. Technology, thank goodness, has now dramatically advanced and steered skin-whitening products to a more versatile route.

Lancome Blanc Expert reduces and lightens brown spots even more by breaking the melanin chain reaction (stops the melanin production message which limits melanin production, creating a clearer and more uniform skin tone).

According to Dr. Flordeliz Casintahan of Comprehensive Skin Care Center in Quezon City, among the common myths that surround skin-lightening products are:

• Whitening agents work overnight.

• They can totally erase all kinds of blemishes on the skin.

• All kinds of whitening agents can be used for a long period of time.

• Whitening agents alone can whiten the skin.

The truth is, whitening agents can only lighten epidermal pigmentation (superficial skin). Dermal pigmentation requires procedures other than the application of whitening agents. It is difficult to completely erase blemishes when it involves the dermis, so a whitening product can only do so much.

Of course, your best bet is still prevention. Although people have been stressing the importance of slathering sunblock, many still tread the urban jungle commando. Dr. Casintahan says, "The biggest myth about sun damage and sun protection is the belief that staying inside the house or in the car will not require application of sunblock, or the higher the SPF in a sunblock, the better for the skin." This gives a false sense of security to patients as they feel adequately protected when they are not, or that once the sunblock is applied on the skin, they think there is no need to reapply. There are many sophisticated formulas out there that are gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin.

Lancome products brighten the skin by inhibiting melanin production (what makes the skin dark). It also gives radiance as it exfoliates and smoothens skin once again.

Every age group has its own specific set of problems and each need requires a particular routine to be effective. It’s never too early or too late!

How Whitening Products Can Be Used In Any Age Group Young Skin

Those who live in a tropical climate and are 20 tend to be careless in terms of responsible skincare. I, for example, have ignored my mother’s sensible pleas to stay out of the sun. Tanning and its long-term side effects come out way later. The sun damage can sometimes be viewed with a special light tool that scans the skin for hidden damage. I was told mine looks like the map of the world. Yikes! So am I doomed to die a spotted freak? Nikki Revilla does a lot of watersports and dons an even and enviable tan. Though she uses protection, the cumulative exposure to the UV rays will still affect the overall health of her skin. Dr. Casintahan gives a forecast regarding a tanned twentysomething’s fate.

How much does just one episode of being sunburnt affect the skin in the future?

Erythema (skin’s reaction to sunburn) is the first manifestation which occurs in any individual exposed to the sun for too long. Many manifestations secondary to UV (ultraviolet) rays, particularly the chronic effects (skin aging, photocarcinogenesis or skin cancers), will raise real public health concerns. Characteristic changes of skin damage will result from the small amounts of ultraviolet exposure that continue throughout several years.

How much sunblock SPF is needed?

SPF 15 to 30+, depending on the skin type and activity of the individual. One should choose a highly efficient, broad-spectrum sunscreen effectively covering all the wavelengths associated with photo damage and photodermatoses. We recommend a sunblock with SPF 15 for daily activities. However, for persons who have longer outdoor activities such as golfers, swimmers and persons whose occupation requires prolonged sun exposure, a sunscreen with higher SPF is needed. The potential of sunscreen agents to cause irritation or allergic reactions is theoretically high because of the high concentration of active ingredients in the formulation. Modern and newer formulated sunscreens cause less irritation.

How does Lancome’s Blanc Expert (basically a product that inhibits melanin passage and production) help brighten and protect younger skin?

Lancome’s Blanc Expert whitens and improves younger skin because of its active ingredients such as:

1) Liquiritine and kojic acid, which directly inhibit tyrosinase enzyme activity (melanin production) responsible for melanin production.

2) Salicylic acid, which promotes the elimination of excess dead cells charged with melanin and speeds up cell renewal.

3) Mexoryl SX, a photostable sunscreen which absorbs UVA for photoprotection.

4) Mela-NO complex, an advanced research technology proven to inhibit NO synthase enzyme blocking the melanogenic stimulation.

Try: Blanc Expert XW Cleansing foam and Uv Expert SPF 50 and Blanc Expert Hydrating Fluid

Thirties

At this age, according to Dr. Casintahan, skin aging may be divided into intrinsic aging and extrinsic aging. Intrinsic aging includes those changes that are due to normal maturity and occurs in all individuals. Extrinsic aging of the skin consists of those changes produced by external agents, the most important being cumulative UV light exposure. Among the changes associated with aging skin are wrinkles, yellow leathery skin, dull skin, thin skin, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation and liver spots or age spots.

Joey Carpo, chef and sports enthusiast, spends equal parts of her day indoors and out. Though she may have had a sunburn or two, her skin is healthy.

What does city living do to skin? How does one get sun damage in the not-so-harsh rays in the city?

Glass filters UVB rays but not UVA rays which penetrate and cause damage to the deep dermis of the skin. High doses of UVA ray exposure can therefore be accumulated by staying behind a window pane or while driving a car. Indoor lights, such as fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, have now been studied and have been found to produce skin changes similar to the effects of sunlight such as photoaging and skin cancers

Try: Spot Corrector and UV Expert Make-Up bases.

Mature Skin

Mature skin is not shy about its past. If you took care of it well in your prime, then it glows. If it was abused, it lives to tell its tale. Jul B. Dizon, a celebrated jeweler who possesses a glossy bronze complexion, cares for her skin by moisturizing it and eating well. Though signs of graceful aging are showing, she glows radiantly.

How does taking care of mature skin differ? What ingredients should one look out for?

Aside from the previously mentioned skincare regimen, mature skin can use creams that contain tretinoin, retinol, alpha-hydroxy acids and salicylic acids to promote desquamation of dead cells and skin renewal. The use of creams containing antioxidants such as vitamin C and E has renewed interest in preventing intrinsic aging. However, the use of these creams has to be supervised by a dermatologist who’d determine the skin type of the person and give guidance in choosing the quality of the product to be applied.

Now that age spots are coming out, can a whitening product help?

Age spots chronically are flat to slightly raised, tan to brown lesions on sun-exposed skin, most commonly on the dorsum of hands, forearms and face where they are the result of excessive cumulative UV light exposure. They may be removed with light electrodessication, light freeze of liquid nitrogen, various types of peels or special lasers. They may also be temporarily bleached with whitening creams.

How soon can one expect results?

With the use of whitening agents, you may see signs of lightening in four to eight weeks.

What causes age spots?

Cumulative exposure to sunlight.

Try: Blanc Expert Spot Corrector, Blanc Expert Anti-Dark Circles eye cream and Blanc Expert XW Compact.