Well, my race is actually black, but I was born with very fair skin, like white skin tone, when I was a baby. When I got older it turned to light yellow skin tone and I have stayed out of the sun and always kept my light yellow complexion.
But I went to the fair over 2 years ago and I was exposed to the sun rays for 2 hours and I got tanned badly, like from yellow to red. I want to get rid of it. But how?
By Quan from St. Paul, MN
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There are several products sold in the Black skin & hair-care areas of Walmart & most drug stores (like Walgreens) for around $5. These products contain hydroquinine in a thick greasy base (the Vaseline-type of base is so your skin won't absorb too much at once). It's best to only use these products at night because they usually don't work too well with make-up. If you use these products it's very important that stay out of the sun! There are also other stronger products available only by prescription from dermatologists.
You can help your dead skin cells slough off quicker by exfoliating with half a lemon dipped in to table salt or sugar & then scrubbing your skin with this gritty lemon juice. Or, when you shower or take a bath, you can simply use plain table sugar to scrub the skin. Do this no more than once or at most twice a week. It won't change the skins color, but it helps remove any dead skin cells, so your "tan" will go away a bit quicker & exfoliating makes your skin "smooth as a baby's bottom". Rinse well, then follow with a good all-over body moisturizer.
I am Caucasian, but have read about these products in fashion magazines & tried some of the products made for Black women to help remove age spots & uneven skin coloration on my face from my changing mid-life hormones.
Two years is a long time to keep a sunburn! I might consider going to a dermatologist. Good luck!
First and foremost love, you should be proud of your skin. So please don't lighten it. Those products are no good and no one knows the long term side effects of skin bleaching. But remember that even though your skin may be a bit darker you still need to wear sunscreen every day. I use sunscreen as lotion that way I don't forget to lather it on in the morning. Exfoliating your skin helps a tan disappear quickly. Try a mixture of olive oil and some raw sugar ( if you have it, granulated works fine as well ) and scrub your skin towards the end of a shower. It tends it help if you do this towards the end of a shower because after the sugar rinses off the oil helps trap in moisture.
Also from MN. Things like this does not come from the sun, it is genetics and your ancestorial background. You may have a great aunt somewhere you resemble. Nothing at the drug store will fix genetics.
Well, I'm a white girl who's been doing battle with a big patch of sun damage on my forehead, so I feel for you. Rather than preach at you about accepting something you don't like and that doesn't sound altogether natural anyway, I'll just share what I've learned.
Hydroquinone works, but the 2% creams you can buy over the counter at most places only do so much. For 4%, you need a prescription. But I found a brand on CVS.com called Nadinola, and it has 3%. It works a lot better than the 2% creams.
There are a few secrets to skin lightening that go beyond hydroquinone. First, sun-damaged skin is thicker than normal skin, so you need to apply the hydroquinone cream on top of an exfoliant (alpha or beta hydroxy acid); the exfoliation helps the hydroquinone get at the newer skin so it has a better chance of working.
Second, you need to wear the hydroquinone cream constantly. Never be without it. Even though it probably doesn't work as well under makeup, you should still use it during the day, because your skin is constantly regenerating itself, and if you're not wearing the hydroquinone, it will be regenerating more discoloration and thwarting all the efforts you make at night.
Third, you must wear a sunscreen every day. Not only will this prevent future damage, but the exfoliation that you're doing to treat the discoloration actually makes you more susceptible to new damage. Thus, when you're treating hyperpigmentation, sun protection becomes more important than ever.
By the way, hydroquinone has a bad reputation in some circles, but in my experience, this is utterly undeserved.
Good luck!
I burned my face really bad. I started using proactiv dark spot corrector serum it has 2% hydroquinone , I started using it jun 24 , 2017 and I stopped using it aug 13 , 2017. It did heal my skin but I actually got way lighter than my normal skin tone . It's there a possible way that my skin will go back to its original color?
Oh Quan! My heart is breaking! Please just be happy and proud with your skin color no matter how it changes! No matter whether brown, white or yellow; each of our personal skin tones simply change throughout our lifetime!
I personally went from blue white to a beautiful golden and now a pale white because of illness and wish I had the golden back so I looked healthier! I am sharing this poem I wrote two decades ago and I hope it touches you enough to accept yourself and how your skin changes. I am sharing this from my heart!
Tears of Color - 1990
Henry Hawks of brown skin
Wash away your tears
Someday it won't matter
In the future years
J.E. Hawks of yellow skin
Wash away your tears
Someday it won't matter
In the future years
Otha Hawks of passing skin
Wash away the tears
Someday it won't matter
In the future years
Gloria Hawkes of white skin
Wash away the fears
No one will ever know now
In the future years
Descended of these precious skins
I wash away the tears
Praying it won't matter
In the future years
Quan, I agree with Deeli. My mother is very fair skinned my father was very dark. I have darkish skin which I am very proud of! My sister is much paler than I and admits to being envious. She looks so pasty without makeup whereas I can go out with a slick of lip gloss and I look so healthy and glowing! So many people have complemented me on my skin color. Be proud of who you are, and be thankful you aren't pale and pasty (no offense to anybody) but a warm and vibrant color! Besides which, bright colors look so good on you whilst fairer people look "washed out" in them. The person who stands out most in a crowd would be somebody like you especially if you are wearing a stunning colored outfit!
You should not use hydroquinone. It is dangerous especially all over your body. We live in a society that tells you that you are better off being white with yellow hair, this is a shame that this country and some others are so racist. Hitler did the same with his Aryan race theory. Use sunscreen yes-everyone should. but love yourself. do not fall prey to racist propaganda. you do not keep a sunburn for 2 years so you should check out your skin. If there is no problem-find all the people of color who have done great things and do great things yourself.
All black people are not dark or yellow. Some may have tanned just as you and their skin has become uneven. They may want the natural look of their skin back because they did realize that they were beautiful and don't care to become something that they are not and were working too hard to be.
I randomly came across this post and after skimming the comments, decided to post some actual product advice from my personal experience of getting my skin pale, FAST.
I have been a professional fashion model for almost 5 years now, and with the jobs comes a lot of hair coloring, and believe it or not: skin coloring... depending on what country you are working in. In America/ Europe, tan skin is desirable so you see "build a tan" lotions everywhere! However, in Asia, very pale skin is desirable and considered "beautiful".
So when I went to model in Asia and was constantly told they couldn't book me because I was too "tan", I realized I had to get very pale in a matter of weeks since my job bookings depended on it! I started asking the other models and researching how to whiten my skin without bleaching it because that is horrible for you.
The funny thing is that just as L'oreal, Nivea, Revlon etc, all have "build a tan" lotions in America.... the same big brands all have "whitening" lotions and face scrubs, and face washes in Asia. They simply don't sell them in America & elsewhere because of the market differences.
It took me about 4 weeks of using an exfoliating sponge daily with Nivea Whitening body wash then using Ponds Whitening body Lotion, and for my face using some whitening face scrub, and Pond's whitening night cream.... I was so pale, I couldn't believe it. They also even sell SPF + whitening there (yes, while you are being protected by SPF, it is keeping your skin light too)!
So my advice: Go to your local Asian supermarket/ store! China towns, Japan towns; they are everywhere! And most of the supermarkets carry these whitening products, and most of the areas even have beauty shops stocked full of Plus Whitening products. It might be a little pricier since they are shipped overseas, but well worth it if that is what you are looking for.
I am confident that these types of products will work on black skin, Indian skin, any dark skin etc.... because if the "build a tan" lotions work for people, so do the "get white" lotions. And they are no more "harmful" for you than any other basic lotion from the same brands.
Hope this helps!
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