What products worked for you to fade your Melasma?
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Sat Mar 05, 2011 2:51 pm

Can you tell me the specific products you used? I'm not looking for a generic answer like sunscreen, AHA, Retin A. I would like to know the brands you are using. Maybe I need to switch brands and thats why nothing is working..so please be specific.

I am looking for any product rec's that have helped you.

I do want to share my Obagi experience though.
I used Obagi Nu-Derm in the past and it worked great but the minute I quit, the sunspots came back even more. Sad

I did not follow a maintenance program...so if Obagi is your answer, can you tell me how long you did the program and then your maintenance program.BTW, I did try Obagi again recently and I swear it make my spots even darker. It did not do that the first time around.

I am currently using BurnOut s/s which has 18% zince oxide. Is that enough protection to keep them from coming back?

free skin care · Sat Mar 05, 2011 5:03 pm

Hi Goose,
I think with Obagi, you MUST follow up with a maintenance plan. I've been on Nuderm for almost two years. First, I did the full program for 24 weeks before moving onto maintenance. Now, I use Clear and Blender/Retin a 2-3 times per week.

I didn't have melasma, but I had some serious sun damamge: hyperpigmentaion, uneven skin tone, freckling. Obagi has taken care of most of those issues for me.

Using sunscreen is obviously extremely important and I personally believe that a physical one is best -- especially using Nuder.

A lot of people have mentioned on the various Obagi threads (there are several at EDS) that their pigmentation often got darker at first, so there is a possibility that this may be normal.

Are you considering Obagi again?

free skin care · Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:22 pm

SkinBiology copper peptides in AM, their LacSal at night. I've recently added Cosmetic Skin Solutions cE+Ferulic but it's too early to tell. I believe the peptides bring hidden skin damage to the surface where the LacSal helps it flake off. I know a photofacial can do the same a lot faster for more money.

free skin care · Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:07 pm

Nothing. I've tried rx products, Obagi, IPL, fraxel, etc. Note: I wear sunblock everyday rain or shine and have for many years.

Wed Mar 09, 2011 4:49 am

I may be new to this forum but a pro at treatments for melasma which have all failed and worsened my condition. Spent thousands of dollars on almost everything said to cure. I do my lactic acid peels weekly, and sunscreen. Major improvement along with Meladerm which is now my final product to clear my skin. I've noticed a great improvement 5 days after starting it, improves daily and melasma breaking up. It's my second week into this product. I just hope it will treat it well and not plateau like most products I've used.

free skin care · Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:38 am

Obagi I havn't tried.I've heard it good at whitening

Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:01 am

My derm suggested the daily lotion with SPF for the winter, since I have a large dark spot on my forehead. It not very dark, but it is actually pretty wide. I used it as a moisturizer really, and suddenly, after about three weeks, I noticed that I could hardly see my spot. So now I am planning to order the whole C RX line. I would be a bit hesitant to try the nu derm, especially since the weather is getting warmer and I live in a hot climate.I would really appreciate more input on the C RX line.xxxx

free skin care · Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:02 am

I have been using Obagi clear off and on for a few years. It works but, as you said, if you stop, it comes back within a few days. I really would like a more permanent solution. I have noticed that sunscreens with helioplex work much better for me than other sunscreens with the same SPF. Taking 1000 mg of MSM every day helps. Of course, 10% Alpha Hydrox brand alpha hydroxy acid lotion helps. Retin a .025 is supposed to help but I haven't seen much difference. Super Cop by skin biology is supposed to help but you have to work up to it. I just worked up to super cop recently, so it's too soon to tell. My skin is already smoother but the spots aren't lighter yet.

IPL didn't work!

Has anyone tried mequinol?

free skin care · Sat Mar 26, 2011 7:41 pm

I recently heard about a product called Elure. There's a thread somewhere in the forums that discusses the product. It's available at lovelyskindotcom and maybe elsewhere. It's kind of expensive, however -- $150. I may give it a whirl as soon as I'm done with the UNT product. I just started it, so it will probably be a month or so before I try Elure.

free skin care · Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:15 am

I've recently switched up my skincare routine to a Korean brand called History of Whoo. (I read about it on a thread here on EDS.) The Seol line is a whitening line which is supposedly based on ancient Korean herbal formulas. I've been using it for the past 3 weeks and have definitely noticed that my skintone has gotten lighter already. I'm usually about NC35-37 in MAC, probably now around NC30. My aim was to get rid of this hyperpigmentation/ freckles on my cheeks & acne scarring on my chin. Right now it seems that everything is getting lighter at the same rate, so the hyperpigmentation is still visible, though lighter. Perhaps I should just concentrate on the spots? Anyway, I'm very impressed so far by the results that I've gotten in such a short time.

A huge drawback is that History of Whoo is super expensive, although if you get samples on Ebay, the per unit price is a lot cheaper.

I've also tried Obagi. My spots got lighter but never went away entirely, and when I stopped using it, they pretty much came back to the same color as before.

free skin care · Tue Apr 12, 2011 7:24 pm

JLM wrote:

I've recently switched up my skincare routine to a Korean brand called History of Whoo. (I read about it on a thread here on EDS.) The Seol line is a whitening line which is supposedly based on ancient Korean herbal formulas. I've been using it for the past 3 weeks and have definitely noticed that my skintone has gotten lighter already. I'm usually about NC35-37 in MAC, probably now around NC30. My aim was to get rid of this hyperpigmentation/ freckles on my cheeks & acne scarring on my chin. Right now it seems that everything is getting lighter at the same rate, so the hyperpigmentation is still visible, though lighter. Perhaps I should just concentrate on the spots? Anyway, I'm very impressed so far by the results that I've gotten in such a short time.

A huge drawback is that History of Whoo is super expensive, although if you get samples on Ebay, the per unit price is a lot cheaper.

I've also tried Obagi. My spots got lighter but never went away entirely, and when I stopped using it, they pretty much came back to the same color as before.

Are you using the whole system? If not, which products are you using? Also, with regard to your whole getting ligher, could you use it just on the hyperpigmented spots? Maybe apply it with a cotton swab?

free skin care · Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:54 am

Multi-Acid Resurfacing Peel -pads from Baeauticontrol + retin A (0.05%) + vitamin C+ AVST environ
IPL made it worst

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 7:26 pm

JLM wrote:

I've recently switched up my skincare routine to a Korean brand called History of Whoo. (I read about it on a thread here on EDS.) The Seol line is a whitening line which is supposedly based on ancient Korean herbal formulas. I've been using it for the past 3 weeks and have definitely noticed that my skintone has gotten lighter already. I'm usually about NC35-37 in MAC, probably now around NC30. My aim was to get rid of this hyperpigmentation/ freckles on my cheeks & acne scarring on my chin. Right now it seems that everything is getting lighter at the same rate, so the hyperpigmentation is still visible, though lighter. Perhaps I should just concentrate on the spots? Anyway, I'm very impressed so far by the results that I've gotten in such a short time.

A huge drawback is that History of Whoo is super expensive, although if you get samples on Ebay, the per unit price is a lot cheaper.

I've also tried Obagi. My spots got lighter but never went away entirely, and when I stopped using it, they pretty much came back to the same color as before.

Hi JLM ! I 've also tried obagi for my melasma and it came back even darker. Could you kindly tell me please where can i get the history of whoo line in canada or online shop that can ship to canada. Do you think this line is better than obagi for hyper pigmentation , melasma? I saw online review about this line . How do you use these products i mean what order do i need to use all the products in order to get results. What sunscreen do you use with these products . Do you use these in the morning and night.Can i use these products with any other products. I am sorry for all these question i hope you won't mind it and please excuse my English. thank you

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 11:09 pm

I think I pmed you before regarding this on MUA, but I'll say it again: the prescription Tri-luma. I used it for the prescribed time and I now maintain by using tretinoin .05 3-4x weekly. I also sometimes spot treat with hydroquinone 4%. Finally, I found mineral SS (high in zinc preferably) to be much better than chem filters at keeping the melasma at bay.

free skin care · Sat May 14, 2011 3:53 am

Oops, sorry I didn't respond earlier, I didn't see the posts!

Hey Elvisshops, at first I just used the History of Whoo: Seol Whitening Kit (I got a bunch of samples from Ebay) all over my face. That's when I saw the *definite* allover whitening effect. Then, I began using the entire line (again, I bought a sample sized starter kit from Ebay). Things were progressing nicely, and I have to say, the texture of my skin was really nice.

I then discovered that there's a Whoo counter inside a Korean grocery store nearby, and when I went in to visit, the SA gave me a generous samples of this Korean line called OHUI: The First, which I've been using for the past couple of weeks, with the Whoo: Seol Whitening Kit on the spots. OHUI: The First is based on stem cell technology.

Right now, the lightest spots are gone, and my spots look like how they have looked when I put makeup on top of them. I'm very happy with these Korean skincare lines. Even if this was all the lightening of my spots that I would achieve, I would be very happy to continue using these lines (off of Ebay, though, so it's cheaper.)

But I'm aiming to totally eradicate these spots! It will be something of a miracle if I do, considering that I've had them for about 20 years or so.

I believe that all-physical sunscreens are probably better for hyperpigmentation than part-physical or chemical, and I've been trying out Burnout, Devita, & Elta. Last summer I used Shiseido Face & Body SPF 60, which is part chemical with 16% zinc oxide. I was pretty happy with it-- my brown spots did not get darker, so we'll see how things go this summer with the new stuff.

I mentioned it on other threads, but I really believe that a low-sugar diet is very helpful in making hyperpigmentation less resistant. I noticed that my spots got lighter when I changed my diet a few years ago. (And I was a major sugar addict!)

BTW, I'm not exactly sure what caused my hyperpigmentation-- all I know is that it's very, very deep. When I was pregnant & nursing, the spots got darker & did not get lighter until I began using Obagi. When I stopped using Obagi, the spots got darker again, but not to their original level when I began Obagi, just sort of "medium".

I read that dermarolling has been successfully used to treat hyperpigmentation, but it has not worked on me (I tried 3-4 times with a 1.5mm, spaced out over month each.) Nothing.

Finally, right now I am supplementing with N-Acetyl Glutamine, alpha-lipoic acid, & Vitamin C-- I've read that these supplements are used for skin lightening. I haven't seen any skin lightening myself (for example on my belly where I'm not using any topicals) but I'm hoping that these might support what I'm putting on my face.

I'll continue to update, especially if my spots really do go away entirely! (It's the one thing that the SA's at the makeup counters *always* point out to me, as if I didn't know!)

free skin care · Mon May 16, 2011 8:18 pm

JLM, I purchased some sample packets of H of W Whitening Essence from ebay. I've had them a while but haven't tried them yet.

What do you think of the essence?

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2011 2:46 am

Hey Elvisshops, I checked out what I have in my History of Whoo lineup & realized that I don't have the Essence! (There are so many products in the Seol line!) I *believe* that I used to have it, but ran out of the sample size that I had. I suppose this means that I haven't noticed its absence. This is what I have been using recently:

- Whoo:Seol Cleansing Foam
- Whoo:Seol Balancer
- OHUI: The First Essence (from LG's stemcell line)
- Whoo:Seol Whitening Kit on spots
- Whoo:Seol Lotion
- OHUI: The First Cream

I have dry skin. I especially like the Whoo:Seol Balancer to improve hydration & texture, but it seems that the Whitening Kit is really the effective lightening component.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2011 6:09 pm

Maybe I'll start using my essence. I've been a little nervous about it since I don't know anything about the company really. I also don't want to use anything that will cause breakouts. Looks like the essence would be too watery to clog pores.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2011 7:29 pm

A dermatologist compounded HQ 5% with Retin-A 0.1% and zinc oxide sunscreen got rid of my mom's melasma within a month.

free skin care · Fri May 20, 2011 3:03 am

Elvisshops wrote:

Maybe I'll start using my essence. I've been a little nervous about it since I don't know anything about the company really. I also don't want to use anything that will cause breakouts. Looks like the essence would be too watery to clog pores.

Hey Elvisshops, I wouldn't worry about that. History of Whoo is owned by LG, which is a ginormous Korean conglomerate & has quite a few different types of operations (although you might be most familiar with their TVs & cell phones.) I just wonder whether the Essence would be *powerful* enough on its own to see any difference? I can vouch for the "Whitening Kit" (which is actually a standalone serum/lotion) making a difference all by itself.

Fri May 20, 2011 8:41 am

I had terrible sun damage and my friend (an esthetician) had melasma. We use Reverse by R+F and have seen great results in 2 months. Reverse regimens includes an SPF 55 which will keep the sun damage at bay from now on.

free skin care · Sun May 22, 2011 3:59 pm

I have not dealt with melasma but i know for a fact that vitamin C serum has vanished some hand freckles I developed from sun exposure while driving.

free skin care · Mon May 23, 2011 8:09 am

skincareaddicted wrote:

I have not dealt with melasma but i know for a fact that vitamin C serum has vanished some hand freckles I developed from sun exposure while driving.

Your hand freckles most likely were age spots which are much easier to treat than melasma.

free skin care · Mon May 23, 2011 3:00 pm

MyBestFriend wrote:

skincareaddicted wrote:

I have not dealt with melasma but i know for a fact that vitamin C serum has vanished some hand freckles I developed from sun exposure while driving.

Your hand freckles most likely were age spots which are much easier to treat than melasma.

I mentioned that the spots were freckles and not melasma. I said I have never dealt with melasma before. I still think vitamin C might help melasma.

Mon May 23, 2011 6:32 pm

I got a copper peel from Omorovicza. Haven't tried it yet. But it says it lightens the complexion.

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