PIH, dark spots (red, black, brown), freckles - these have been my problem for years. it doesn't help that i'm fair and maputla.
so far ang pinaka nagwork for me ay hydroquinone. gold standard pa din sya for whitening but it's not for long-term use. plus you really have to consult with your doc at baka pumuti naman todo yung area where you put it hindi na papantay sa tone ng skin sa ibang areas. pinaka effective and fastest results that i used is the CRX line of obagi. i can say 6-8 weeks or so burado lahat ng marks ko sa face, but then i had to stop of course.
for emergencies, i use retinoids, most effective for my sensitive and dry skin is differin. aside from shrinking the zit overnight (3 days max for cystic types), it doesn't leave any obvious mark compared to when i just let my pimple be.
vitamin c serum. i have tried a lot. recent one is ciracle but nope did not work for me, gave my dry skin more dryness. now i'm just using it for my neck area. obagi's serums pa din ang pinaka effective, even the ones without hydroquinone. kiehl's vitamin c range and corrector shiz, so-so lang. but vitamin c infused products really help with whitening, even yung bioessence na biolite range, that helped me too, especially the vit c face cream and spf, they're both good.
glutathione and oral vitamin c, for long-term use these really help for spots. and making new spots disappear faster with or without treatment.
microdermabrasion, exfoliation, either home treatment (once or twice a week) or in-clinics. but they have to be regular so you can see results. DP or power peel work for me but no-no if you have active breakouts. had to learn my lesson the hard way.
for soaps, kojic is good but very drying. i only use kojic on scars sa katawan, rarely on the face. the belo one is effective.
i also use this soap which is so underrated but i've been a user for like 7 years na yata. I only see it in Mercury Drug (but not all branches) and Landmark (but once in a blue moon lang meron) so I hoard talaga if meron. name of soap is MediHerb papaya soap. madami sila variants but yung papaya soap is the most effective hands down, i swear. non-drying, no sabong panlaba smell, di madaling matunaw and best of all, dirt cheap at 50 pesos. laging out of stock sa mercury so i guess madaming secret users like me. I buy this for my relatives abroad kasi eto lang nagwork for them, and lahat ng nirerecommendan ko nito became happy with using it. hindi sya instant results pero it's effective if long term use mo na.
another cheap alternative is eskinol na toner yung pimple fighting variant plus mix it with dalacin-c. for the small eskinol, yung 150 mg dalacin is enough. for the big eskinol, 300 mg. if you use more than that, you risk dryness, and sting. effective sya for oily skin napansin ko. i was in 1st year hs when my mom taught me this regimen. surprisingly, it works for dark spots, although continued use dapat.
and yes, a good sunscreen for lifetime use. IMO, every human being should use one and not forego it. what they say about UVAs and UVBs are true. my derma even said that even if you're at home, or indoors, or kahit artificial light or even while you're cooking, you still get exposed to UV rays. all your whitening products are basically useless if you don't use sunscreen.
sorry ang haba but for reference, i have dry, over sensitive (i have atopic dermatitis), pigmentation and redness prone skin. if you have this skin type, maybe the products i use will work on you too.
