[justlooking]

hi everyone...im new to this, have had a good browse around before joining and there seems to be a lot of differing opinions on skin lightening treatments.

I'm of indian descent, I wouldnt say im dark at all, but I would like to be a shade lighter. I have read different reviews on meladerm but im really not sure about it. Does anyone have any comments on this? Would it work to generally lighten the skin?

Or are there any other products anyone could recommend that are safe to use?

thanks in advance for any replies!

 

[KatrinaJ]

I honestly think that you shouldnt chemically lighten your skin, try applyig kojic acid creams or lemon juice.. these work great to brighten skin and complexxion. tell me what you think.
KJ

 

[justlooking]

hi there, I was under the impression that meladerm was made up of all natural ingredients?

 

[justlooking]

anyone.....

 

[little erin]

Hi Justlooking, welcome.

As you're of Indian descent, Meladerm use may make your face look much brighter than it would if used on darker skin. But it doesn't really lighten skin dramatically. Perhaps if you used it for say 4 months, you may be able to tell if it works for you. It will make your skin clearer. Read around, you'll learn of what members are using then you can decide whats best for you. Hope this helps.

 

[ondine]

Many people here have said that they experienced some lightening at first (minimal) then got terrible acne outbreaks & rashes from it. Please do not confuse 'natural' with 'safe'. Many people are harming themselves with 'natural' products & remedies. There is little supervision & oversight in the production of 'natural' products & supplements as yet. Manufacturers of these products make all sorts of vague claims like 'good for' or 'treats' or 'effective on' then list everything from AIDS to psoriasis. Dosage levels are often the same for anyone buying the product. Common sense would indicate where this is troubling: a 250 lb man would require different dosage that a 100 lb woman. Also, with natural supplements, people often self-prescribe trying to cleanse this & stimulate that. Remember that many lethal poisons occur naturally: ricin, ketones & arsenic are examples. There are enough ketones in a small bottle of essential oil of oregano to kill a child! Easily! Essential oil of cloves killed a baby last year: a well meaning mother was using a drop of clove e-oil to ease her baby's teething pain. ' Natural' is one of the biggest buzz-words' in the cosmetics industry & people are being ripped-off & misled. THe use of HQ for lightening goes back to the anicent Persians & has a looonnng history of use. the Japanese have released some mixed studies re kojic acid. It burned the crap out of my skin (severe irritation) whereas the HQ/RA does not. I know every skin is unique, but please be careful & don't be fooled by buzz words like 'natural' & 'ayurvedic'.

 

[little erin]

Nice one Ondine.

 

[justlooking]

thank you both little erin and ondine.

Ondine you really seem to know your stuff, I dont suppose you could recommend anything?

For an indian I would say im an average colour, however my whole family are pretty fair, so I get recognised as the 'dark one'. its pretty crappy at times, so I would like to be a little lighter without having to compromise any harm to my skin.

 

[ondine]

You might want to begin by trying an HQ4% Retin A 0.1% routine. This is very effective & many here are using it successfully. For what you describe, mono would be too much.

 

[justlooking]

ooh thank you, could you tell me where I could purchase this from? also are there any side affects?

 

[ondine]

Here are 2 sources for both products

1. (in the USA) s u p e r s k i n s t o r e @ g m a i l . c o m they sell HQ4% & Retin A 0.1%

2. (in India) aLLDaYcHemist.com

Source 1 won't ship to the UK due to customs hassles. They sell for 15$/tube of either cream + reasonalbe shipping. They can fit 4-5 tubes in one pack so order more to off-set shipping costs.

Source 2 ships all over the place & their prices are rock bottom see-it-to-believe-it BUT since they're in India, shipping to Canada or the US is high. Still very much worth it, though. Order several tubes (believe me: at those prices you'll be glad to & you're going to need them anyways!) to off-set shipping.

 

[justlooking]

Thank you...

i dont suppose anyone knows the answer to this one...i have laser treatment on parts of my face to remove tough hair (what a curse unwanted hair and uneven complexion all in one lol) would it be safe to use the hq cream even though i have laser done? i appreicate most wouldn't know the answer to this but i thought i'd give it a shot!

 

[ondine]

If you ask the technician who does your laser treatments, she ought to know fr sure. She'll likely suggest abstaining for a period immediately before & immediately after treatments but I have no idea how long a period she'll suggest. Actually, please let everyone know: mant people are getting laser hair removal & you could help them out.

 

[justlooking]

yup will do! I really want to try the HQ so hopefully they say its ok!

 

[little erin]

Justlooking, its nice of Ondine to suggest using HQ and Retin A as Meladerm didn't work for me. Ondine that story of a baby dying when the mother used a drop of Clove e-oil is sad. Yes we have to be careful using these 'natural' products, we should use what's been tested. HQ has not been proven to be carcinogenic in humans. As with any chemical substance one ought to use as prescribed. People misusing these products give them a bad name giving stem to myths and consequently discourage people who would benefit from using them.

 

[justlooking]

Thank you little erin. I most certainly would use any new product with caution, and only as stated in the instructions. I already get very paranoid about using new products so I def dont see myself abusing it! I only have to check if it is safe with laser and then I'm good to go

Does HQ even out skin complexion aswel?

 

[ondine]

It certainly does.

 

[little erin]

Simply, HQ is a reducing agent; it will reduce skin color, so will even out skin complexion.

 

[justlooking]

oooo this is all so exciting! I clearly am very ignorant when it comes to all these products and I had no idea there were so many great ways to improve the skin. If I'm honest I hadn't even heard of most of these names until I came across this site,so I feel a bit like a kid in a sweet shop at the moment!

 

[little erin]

I'm surprised by how people are sharing information, in this day and age of cons. You'll learn a lot here. Hope its safe for you to use the suggested products with laser, all the best and share with us your experiences, bad and good