Skin brightening

SKIN WHITENING

Many people often become confused when skin whitening and skin brightening are in the same sentence. Quite often, people mistake it as the same subject but spelt differently. Skin whitening focuses on products that not only whiten darker areas of the body but the whole body as one. When an individual has a desire to have whiter skin compared to their natural skin tone, body whitening products can be used to stop the production of melanin and turn existing melanin into a brighter colour. To summarise, skin whitening is about the intention to go beyond lightening or brightening your skin to achieve a more drastic whiter shade.

By combining Hydroquinone with retinol and other melanin inhibiting agents, ingredients within these products are used with a combination of potent melanin inhibitors to help fade the skin into a lighter shade. Low concentrations of Hydroquinone can be found over the counter; however, higher doses are prescriptive only. Although Hydroquinone can be found over the counter, it must not be overlooked, as a low concentration can be enough to whiten the skin, due to its chemical potency. At Aestha clinic, we encourage you to discuss with our practitioner first and strongly recommend using Hydroquinone for short-term use only. Whilst the skin whitening market is full of products that can be used, there are stronger bleaching agents that can give drastic results by stripping the skin off its natural pigments. However, this is not something we recommend, as it can cause potential harm to our bodies.

SKIN BRIGHTENING

Skin brightening is very focused on working with darker areas caused by sunspots, acne, scars and discolouration related to age and hormone imbalances. The process of brightening the skin involves heavily on radiance and glow; this happens when we restore the vibrancy of our skin.  Every day, our skin is continuously growing new skin cells to replace the old ones. Quite often, the old skin cells, also known as dead skin cells, remain on the skin’s surface and can make one’s appearance seem dull and unhealthy. One of the most important steps in skin care to remove dead skin cells is exfoliation. By exfoliating our skin, we thereby revitalise it making it look healthier, radiant, and most importantly, brighter. If the exfoliation process is not effectively removed, it will project a dull and darker skin tone.

To brighten the skin, products including alpha hydroxy acids, kojic acids, retinoids, Vitamins A, E & C and beta hydroxy acids are used. Vitamin C and Alpha Arbutin are the two main brightening agents used to reduce significant pigmentation effectively. Vitamin C is a must for boosting collagen levels in the skin as it is also an antioxidant that fights free radicals that cause early skin ageing.

There are various body brightening products in the skincare market, however, it is important to remember that not all brightening products work on the same skin. Teenagers and younger adults are known to have a natural and radiant glow. When we approach our mid-30s, our skin cell turnover levels decrease every 40 days, therefore, it is important to use the correct products to upkeep the radiant glow.

As a first step, have a look into worldwide known product lines such as OBAGI Nu Derm sets, OBAGI Vit C sets, ZO Medical products and more personal-focused tailor-made brands such as UNIVERSE skin. Universe Skin Assessment is available within our clinic and on the website, which not only gives you an idea of biomimetic peptides that your skin needs, but also allows unique formulations to be ordered only for your skin type and concerns.

CINDERELLA DRIPS AT AESTHA CLINIC

It is no doubt that South Korea is the number one country for skin care and beauty obsession, let’s bring that to London!

So, what are Cinderella injections? In South Korea, many people aim to have whitened skin but also, at the same time, want to tackle a variety of skin problems. Whitening injections are responsible for restoring overall skin health and most importantly, making the skin look fairer and brighter. Whilst it can eliminate dark spots, pigmentation, redness, and scars, it is also considered an anti-ageing agent as it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles too. The Cinderella drip is an infusion with various high concentrated vitamins and various beauty ingredients in one. One of the main ingredients in the Cinderella drip is Glutathione. That’s right, you must have heard it a lot in our clinic!

Glutathione is a natural occurring substance in our bodies that helps maintain a healthy liver. It is an antioxidant which cleans and eliminates free radicals from our bodies. For those that are feeling exhausted most of the time, the Cinderella drip also helps increase energy levels and promotes wound healing. Glutathione has a strong effect of inhibiting the production of melanin through activating other antioxidants such as Vitamin C and E and Alpha-Lipoic Acid.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid is a powerful antioxidant which synergistically activates the detoxification process in our bodies. Alpha-Lipoic acid also helps increase metabolic activity by reducing fat and helps remove free radicals from our bodies.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an important potent antioxidant which has the power to increase resistance to infection, boosts immune systems, regenerate other antioxidants, and brightens the skin! Vitamin C does not have to be from the everyday topical creams and cleansers, it can come via nutritional intake too!

It is important to remember that by having the Cinderella drip, it does not automatically obtain whiter/pale skin. The treatment focuses on removing ‘darkened’ particle pigments. However, a combination of the Cinderella drip and skin brightening, and skin whitening products and treatments can overall help improve the skin tone according to the skin.

If you are interested in having a skincare consultation or even the Cinderella drip, please book a consultation with me and let’s start our skin brightening journey together!