I used to have lighter skin color when I was younger, but it's gotten darker as I got older. My mom's skin is really light and she's always telling me to wash my face with soap and I do that, but it doesn't really help. I want to think that it does, but it doesn't.
Does sunscreen protect the color of your skin? I have a medium tan, but my mother's is really light and that's how I want it to be. I always thought it was the sun that made my face darker.
My feet and arms are so much whiter than my face and it looks like I don't wash my face, but I do (like 4 times a day).
-Ae Eh from Long Island, New York
Yes, you can get whiter skin and, yes, the sun makes your skin darker and "older looking". If you make a concentrated effort to apply sunblock and/or stay out of the sun, your white skin should come back in a year or so. Remember, a suntan is actually your body trying to protect itself from damage. (04/18/2005)
By Kathleen K.
From your comments indicating that your face appears "unwashed", I think you may have a condition called acanthosis nigricans. It is usually found on the neck, underarms and waist, but I also have it on my face.
This condition is caused by insulin resistance (diabetes). You may want to find an endocrinologist or dermatologist.
Hope this helps.
Genny (05/01/2005)
By Genny
Whiter skin? This post confuses me, as do the replies. Sun tanning does obviously make most skin tones darker, but normally this fades when the winter comes. Maybe the discoloration/darkness is caused by sun spots and/or sun damage? If you talk to a dermatologist, they might recommend sun damage treatments.
But perhaps, you just need to embrace the fact that your skin changes over time, and may never go back to how it once was. 'Tis Life. (05/25/2005)
By Grace
If you want a whiter skin frequently go to a "sauna" and apply every day for a month lemon mixed with honey. If some irritation begins stop the treatment.
By Javier B.
Of course you can get whiter skin, but why would you?
By Jesus C.
I mix flour (the bleached kind you cook with) and whole milk up in a bowl and apply that to my face once a day. Not only does it whiten my face, it also hydrates it and makes it smoother.
(01/19/2007)
By Mary
As a matter of fact you can achieve a whiter skin in no time. Others may say that using sunscreen will do the thing, not very much. So my mother's a dermatologist and she told me that the more you use a higher number of sunscreen when going outside the more you actually get darker and it's true. My old teacher one time was talking to me and he just got back from the Philippines which is a country that is very humid, I did notice that he was way darker then before and I remember him telling me that he used so much sunscreen to help his skin from the harsh sun.
My question was why did he get darker? My mother maybe right about that or maybe its just him I dunno, use at least SPF 15 nothing higher than that when applying on the face.
By the way never buy skin brighteners that have tiny little sparkles on them because they can irritate your skin and it can cause horrible acne. I've tried it before. I use the Morning glow Brightener from Clean and Clear, I think it was and it was harsh on the face.
Mixing milk and lemon in a little container will help you achieve that whiter complexion, because milk has a bit of bleach in it and so does the lemon because of its acidity.
My asian friend uses papaya herbal soap by Lika and it works well, she tells me. My friend is Philipino and she was pretty dark and now she's as light as my younger sister who's a bit darker then I am and I am a mixture of German and Philipino. (07/09/2007)
By Sinthia S.
Bro, the best and most effective way to lighten your skin tone is to consume a large amount of vitamin C. Fruits such as oranges, kiwi fruits and also vitamin supplements contain a large dose of this vitamin. Vitamin C is effective in reducing and diminishing the oversupply of melanin produced by oils inside the skin, which are the cause of dark skin. All the best. (08/22/2007)
By Nilesh
Shideido White Lucent. I'm Asian and had the same problem as most of you. It's expensive if you buy here in America, but if you order online from say, SaSa (HK) it's a lot cheaper, trust me.
And it works really well, I was always pale but I had a lot of freckles, but after using it they're fading pretty quickly. Also eat things high in vitamin C and drink plenty of water.
(09/26/2007)
By Hanako
I used to have uneven skin color on my body and face. I thought like you that if I would wash my face and body with normal soap that my skin color will become even and lighter. I recently discovered that this is not the case.
A dermatologist friend of mine suggested to me to try an imported soap called SW+SS. It really made a difference. Not only is my skin color lighter, but its also even all over my body and face.
And the best part is that it's not like those other harmful whitening products that damage your skin and can cause skin cancer.
It contains L glutathione. I am not exactly sure what it is, but the way my doctor friend described it to me, it's like a close relative to vitamin C.
They don't sell it in all countries. I was getting mine from a specialist shop, until recently when I found out that they sell it on eBay. That's where I am getting it from now. Here's the official website for more info:theswisscare.com (10/28/2007)
By Julie
I have tried that SW+SS skin whitening soap, too. It really did the trick for me. But you have to stick with it for a couple of months. My skin is noticeably lighter and the color is more even.My mom is using it too to remove her dark spots. (11/17/2007)
By Joyce
People posting "you are who you are" obviously don't get it. The majority of the people posting here have uneven skin tones. I for one, have tanned arms and face, and extremely pale legs and torso. It makes me ill. All I want is for my skin to be one colour. I can't even go swimming. I was pale as a kid (my mother is white) with straight hair and as soon as I moved to a tropical city where I tanned and my hair became frizzy and wavy? (01/01/2008)
By Kyle
This is so sad. It's one thing to want even toned skin, but to try so hard to look as European as possible is unfortunate. America is a piece of work. (01/11/2008)
By Beautiful Brown Skin
Make sure the skin lightening products you buy do not have hydroquinine or mercury in it. It's banned in many countries and can disfigure your face, cause cancer, and actually make you darker instead. Seriously research it yourself. But other than that there are many good products out there like Fair and Flawless. (01/22/2008)
By Tine
Use Bio Oil. It's proven to work. You can buy it from any drug store no prescriptions needed. Also gets rid of dark marks and scars. (04/25/2008)
By Zahid
For darker complexions, kojic acid and arbutin (bearberry cream) are good skin lighteners. For people who are fair, and struggling with uneven skin-tone, hydroquinone is not dangerous. It is only dangerous on darker skins. Beware of going on the wrong contraceptive pill, as it can cause brown spots. To all those who cannot understand about skin lightening, and think it is all about people rejecting their normal color, please understand that most people want to lighten because of "uneven" skin tone. (05/11/2008)
By yogibear
Your skin can become darker if you are overweight. This is a condition called Acanthosis nigricans. Acanthosis nigricans is most often associated with obesity.
Eating too much of the wrong foods, especially starches and sugars, can cause insulin resistance. Lose weight if this is the case and eat healthy foods only. Read more about this condition ataocd.org (08/24/2008)
By derm
I would highly recommend the SW+SS soap as well. I am a dermatologist and after using and thoroughly examining many of the available soaps in the market, I found SW+SS to be the one that strikes the best balance between being safe and producing the best results.
I got mine from their online shop:theswisscare.comThey have a special offer on their eBay shop. Click on the eBay logo on their shop and go to their eBay shop. They have lots of special offers there. (09/03/2008)
By Sandra
Skin that has been exposed to the sun becomes darker because melanin "the pigments that give skin its color" are protecting you against sun's radiation. Therefore the more melanin you have the more darker you get so those that say that they were lighter when they were babies that doesn't mean that they were "meant" to be white simply you were not exposed to the sun as much as you get older now thank your parents for those genes. (10/23/2008)
By Claire
Yes you can, dear, I can testify to that Amen! You need L'MAJ Beverly Hills Vita Pack products.
It will lightening you up with in few months. I saw changes with in 2 weeks. Try them. lmajinc.com (11/15/2008)
By Felia
Have you used Mega Blast Whitening Cream? It's fast at whitening my skin. (12/22/2008)
By Shel
To whiten skin, put some sour cream on like a mask, it really works I promise, but you will at least see some results in 2 days. (06/19/2009)
By Lala
There is this new skin shop named Johnette Alissandraise. I've tried their whitening soaps and lotion and I assure you that I got whiter. Too bad it's hard to buy their products. I only buy them online, in their very few stores. Try them. I know you will agree with me. (12/06/2009)
By sarah
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