Skin Bleaching and Skin Lightening Ingredients

Today, the consumers are increasingly becoming cautious and proactive at the same time. They scrutinize even the most minute detail of a skin care products especially when it comes to skin bleaching or skin lightening. If you are using a skin whitening application, you must be wondering what ingredients are commonly used in such, particularly after reading the label. Nevertheless, the type of ingredient will depend on the desired process of skin whitening. For instance, you may whiten your skin with or without peeling. Ingredients present in skin care products could be natural, man-made or both. Ingredients can be combined to achieve the best results. Here are some of the most common ingredients that you may find in a skin whitening or skin lightening product.

• Hydroquinone, which is a synthetic inhibitor of melanin, can be found in both over the counter and prescription medications for skin lightening. Hydroquinone is very effective in whitening the skin. However, it can lead to high toxicity levels in the skin when used in high dosages. The allowable hydroquinone content is 2% or less.
• Mequinol (4-hydroxyanisole or 4HA) is a substance that is used in conjunction with retinoic acid. Mequinol is very effective in treating skin discoloration including solar lentigines (age spots or liver spots) and melanogenesis so it is widely used when it comes to skin lightening or whitening.
• Retinoic acid is a derivative of Vitamin A. It could be adapelene or tretinoin, both of which are proven to be effective skin whitening or a skin lightening agent. Retinoic acid is very effective in addressing skin discoloration as well including freckles and melasma.
• Azelaic acid can be derived from yeast occurring on the skin of the mammals. Humans can also produce azelaic acid naturally. Azelaic acid is also effective in treating solar lentigines as well as rosacea and hyperpigmentation.  So it can be very beneficial in skin lightening when wanting to remove dark skin age spots.
• Kojic acid is obtained from particular specie of Japanese mushroom. Kojic acid slows down melanin production thereby skin bleaching or skin lightening the dark skin areas effectively.

While you may use any or the combination of these ingredients, effective skin whitening can be achieved if you know how to properly treat your skin. You may also need to use other products while you are in the process of skin your whitening or skin bleaching. These products are: an exfoliant, a cleanser, a moisturizer and a sunscreen. Exfoliant is used before you attempt to use any skin whitening product. Cleanser is used before each application. Moisturizer is used after each application. Sunscreen is used to protect your skin when you are outdoors.