SkinMedica Lytera
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free skin care · Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:44 am

A big thanks to Cookie for bringing this new lightening product to my attention.

Quote:

Lytera® uses innovation to deliver results.

Lytera Skin Brightening Complex is a unique brightening formula that addresses the appearance of dark spots. Lytera works beautifully for all skin types, contains highly effective antioxidants, and serves as a mild exfoliant. It is available without a prescription.

Lytera® is clinically tested.

When clinically tested, women who tried Lytera Skin Brightening Complex reported a high level of satisfaction. Lytera showed similar results to 4% hydroquinone in patients with moderate to severe discoloration. And, it helped to improve the evenness of skin and overall skin condition.

Significant improvements in facial discoloration could be seen in as early as four weeks with continued improvement over time.

Key Ingredients

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate - A stable, lipid-soluble ester form of ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

Niacinamide - Vitamin B3 improves skin moisturization and helps to enhance the barrier function of the skin. Helps promote even looking skin tone.

Ethyl Linoleate - Essential fatty acid ester helps promote even looking skin tone and helps support barrier function.

Squalane - Mimics the lipid content of skin and helps support the skin barrier and is skin’s first line of defense against water loss.

Retinol - Lipid-soluble vitamin A helps smooth dry, thick and rough skin by enhancing exfoliation. Helps even skin tone.

Dunaliella Salina Extract - Natural colorless carotenoids of phytoene and phytofluene extracted from unicellular algae. Colorless carotenoids help quench free radicals and brighten the skin.

Hexylresorcinol - Helps to brighten the skin.

Tetrapeptide-30 - Skin brightening peptide.

4-Ethoxybenzaldehyde - Helps even skin tone and brighten skin.

Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract - Natural extract, rich in glabridin, a highly effective antioxidant with excellent skin brightening qualities.

http://www.skinmedica.com/lytera/about-lytera

I really like that it has Vit A, B, and C all in one, and is somewhat similar to the Epionce Intense Defense Serum that I am currently using. But when I saw the numerous before and after pics of Lytera users, I was blown away.

See pics here at the bottom right of the page.
http://www.skinmedica.com/lytera/reviews

Needless to say, I just HAD to buy it, since my primary skin challenge is pigmentation on my cheeks. Now I just have to figure out how to incorporate it with my other products, since I doubt I will be able to wait until I use those up! Embarassed

free skin care · Thu Jul 25, 2013 4:33 pm

I was not really impressed with the before n after.. on top of this, as an experiment I saved the 1st women's before pic on my computer and then I only adjusted the brightness and decreased the saturation a bit and the after result was very nice... so there is no way of knowing the truth really for any before and afters unless its by a very reputable company n even then...

but if cookie has used it and achieved results then that's another story...

free skin care · Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:49 pm

daler wrote:

I was not really impressed with the before n after.. on top of this, as an experiment I saved the 1st women's before pic on my computer and then I only adjusted the brightness and decreased the saturation a bit and the after result was very nice... so there is no way of knowing the truth really for any before and afters unless its by a very reputable company n even then...

but if cookie has used it and achieved results then that's another story...

Those are pics taken by a Visia machine, and I would think that Allergan has a lot to risk by tweaking them from shot to shot. And actually, Allergan has some of the top products in the market, so I personally have zero qualms about trying it.

Did you look at all 15 different sets of pics?Assuming they are all realistic pics, as someone who has battled diffuse melasma for years and tried many products, I would personally DIE to have those less than impressive results. But I guess you would have had to walk in my pigmented shoes to understand that, lol.

free skin care · Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:00 pm

bethany wrote:

daler wrote:

I was not really impressed with the before n after.. on top of this, as an experiment I saved the 1st women's before pic on my computer and then I only adjusted the brightness and decreased the saturation a bit and the after result was very nice... so there is no way of knowing the truth really for any before and afters unless its by a very reputable company n even then...

but if cookie has used it and achieved results then that's another story...

Those are pics taken by a Visia machine, and I would think that Allergan has a lot to risk by tweaking them from shot to shot. And actually, Allergan has some of the top products in the market, so I personally have zero qualms about trying it.

Did you look at all 15 different sets of pics?Assuming they are all realistic pics, as someone who has battled diffuse melasma for years and tried many products, I would personally DIE to have those less than impressive results. But I guess you would have had to walk in my pigmented shoes to understand that, lol.

I didn't pay attention that it was Allergan, n yes, it's a reputable company and i would trust their before n after pix but it was so easy to manipulate when I tried it...

also fortunately I dont have melasma issues, i dont even have a single freckle anywhere but lately I am seeing some pigmented spots but nothing as bad as in those pix, i should be thankful i guess...

I guess my expectations were/are too high.. in all the photos the pigmented spots remained, just lightened , may be it's enough for someone who has suffered from melasma, I would expect/hope them to be gone altogether...

in most of the photos it seemed that in the after pix the "sun tan" was gone/removed n thus the overall look of the skin was lighter including the pigmentation.. not sure if in this " study" they also used sunblocks on the participants and may be they didn't wear it otherwise...there is lots what companies can do to manipulate results n still remain " honest"...

Pls let us know how it works out for you, I am always interesting in skin brightening/lightening products but since I have been avoiding sun ( on my face) very religiously ( sunblock when outdoors and behind THICK curtains while indoors), my complexion is almost at my ideal....

free skin care · Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:43 pm

I personally seldom go outside during daytime hours, so I attribute mine more to hormones. I also don't expect perfection in 12 weeks (the timeline in the pics), but think that 6 months could show even greater improvement.

free skin care · Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:56 pm

daler wrote:

but if cookie has used it and achieved results then that's another story...

I haven't personally used this product Daler. I just get an email on it and asked Bethany if she knew about it because of her melasma.

I do think the ingredients sound good and like that it has both Vit A and C in it. So I might try it. I don't have much sun damage left because the ReAura took care of most of it but it would be nice to be able to travel with less product if I could.

I thought the before and afters were pretty good. Sun spots are fairly difficult to get rid of. So anything that helps is a plus.

free skin care · Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:08 pm

bethany wrote:

I personally seldom go outside during daytime hours, so I attribute mine more to hormones. I also don't expect perfection in 12 weeks (the timeline in the pics), but think that 6 months could show even greater improvement.

I have heard that hormonal pigmentation is hard to get rid of, but pls dont let this discourage you... i hope you achieve good results...

btw, exfoliation without ( much )irritation is the key in skin/spots lightening along with lighteners...

free skin care · Mon Jul 29, 2013 10:55 pm

So I received my Lytera and tried it out. The packaging (box) is pretty impressive, and you get double the amount of most other products. (2oz vs 1oz)

The cream itself is slightly thick, but spreads very easily. I was worried about the smell after reading some of the reviews, but it is a very faint cinnamon gum smell and does fade very quickly. You can feel a slight, brief warming when you apply it.

I will be using this once a day at night, followed by my Environ CQuence 4.

Sat Aug 03, 2013 9:38 pm

I'm a long-time lurker here, but I just finished my first tube of Lytera tonight, and I thought I'd share my results.

I'm 44 with hormonal melasma. Very fair skin, hazel eyes. Combo/oily. very few wrinkles for my age. I have used a broad spectrum sunscreen generously every day for well over 15 years, but these weird brownish patches show up on the sides of my face. I first started noticing them in 2005.

Since then, I've been on a quest to keep my skin even. I've tried many things, including Retin-a, AHA, hydroquinone, topical vitamin c (three kinds), arbutin, and more. I have a mild case of rosacea so I'm careful about not to overdoing it.

Then came niacinamide. By chance, I tried a few products with notable concentrations of niacinamide or miristyl nicotinate (NIA 24) and my skin reacted positively. Less inflammation and improved texture. When Lytera came out, I saw that it combined several ingredients that I had researched extensively and used in other products, but not together: niacinamide, Retinol, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (lipid-soluble, stable vitamin c), vitamin e, and licorice root.

I occasionally read reviews on beautypedia and when I saw this had a "best" rating, I was really intrigued. I ordered it in February and have used it faithfully every night since. That's about five months.

I immediately loved the smell. Sort of a vanilla/cinnamon/tonka smell, very pleasant to me. When I first applied it caused an uncomfortable flushing sensation but I learned that if I apply to dry skin (as opposed to moist skin) I don't have this problem.

In three or four weeks I could see mild improvements, especially on my forehead and nose area. My skin was more even, less reactive, and seemed a little brighter. By three months I could see definite improvements on my lower cheeks (the most stubborn areas for me) and the sides of my face. Plus, the skin on my cheeks an nose had improved so much that I could finally see all the little broken capillaries from the previously untreated rosacea.

I finished bottle 1 tonight and I have already unpacked the backup. I don't miss one night of applying this. The directions say to apply twice a day, and I'm thinking of replacing my daytime serum with this. At night, I follow with SkinMedica's Tri Retinol complex, for added moisture. Once a week I add an AHA.

I am very happy with this product. It is the most effective topical I have ever used for improving tone and overall radiance. In the day, I use skinmedica vitamin c/e serum, then EltaMD UV clear SPF 46 (which also contains 5% niacinamide). My foundation also has broad-spectrum sunscreen and I am enjoying my newfound freedom to play with sheer foundations and tinted moisturizers.

Based on my own experience, I would recommend Lytera to any. Those who are opposed,to any detectable fragrance in skincare probably won't like it, but it really doe produce results,over time.

free skin care · Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:16 am

alienoreo, welcome to EDS and thanks for your great insight. I am definitely hoping that it works on my cheeks as well!

Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:08 am

Thanks, Bethany! I've learned a lot here and hope my contribution will help someone else. Smile

free skin care · Sun Aug 04, 2013 11:11 am

alienoreo wrote:

Thanks, Bethany! I've learned a lot here and hope my contribution will help someone else. Smile

It definitely will! I was interested to see that you were only using it once a day instead of twice and still getting results. I am doing the same, and am using an Epionce hyperpigmentation product in the AM. I am going to get rid of these spots if it kills me, lol.

free skin care · Sun Aug 04, 2013 11:57 am

This actually looks like a really good "anti-aging" product, on top of the skin discoloration aspect. I will be interested in hearing your review Bethany!

free skin care · Sun Aug 04, 2013 10:55 pm

rileygirl wrote:

This actually looks like a really good "anti-aging" product, on top of the skin discoloration aspect. I will be interested in hearing your review Bethany!

I am using Epionce Melanolyte and just started a new series of ReAura treatments, sigh. So I won't be able to review it on it's own.

I am going to try and do a Visia assessment this week though so that I have a true baseline.

free skin care · Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:40 am

bethany wrote:

I am going to try and do a Visia assessment this week though so that I have a true baseline.

Poo...I just realized that my face is still puffy and red from my ReAura treatment, and that will impact the Visia read. Sad

I may have to skip my ReAura this week and get the Visia done next week. Sheesh...all in the name of beauty I suppose!

Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:11 am

bethany wrote:

I was interested to see that you were only using it once a day instead of twice and still getting results. I am doing the same...

The only reason I haven't been using it twice a day is that I get ready for bed in a different bathroom on a different floor from where I get ready in the morning. I didn't want to buy two tubes--one for each bathroom--till I knew whether it was going to be a good investment. I think I'm ready for that now.

free skin care · Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:36 am

bethany wrote:

I am going to try and do a Visia assessment this week though so that I have a true baseline.

Poo...I just realized that my face is still puffy and red from my ReAura treatment, and that will impact the Visia read. Sad

I may have to skip my ReAura this week and get the Visia done next week. Sheesh...all in the name of beauty I suppose!

No one carries the freaking Visia machine anymore!!!! Drat. Sad

free skin care · Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:45 am

Some makeup/skincare counters in the mall in CA have Visia machines. Also a Whole Foods by me had one for awhile when they were giving free scans if you bought a certain skincare line.

free skin care · Tue Aug 06, 2013 12:24 pm

CookieD wrote:

Some makeup/skincare counters in the mall in CA have Visia machines. Also a Whole Foods by me had one for awhile when they were giving free scans if you bought a certain skincare line.

I did a google search, and everyone I called that used to carry it no longer does. I may have to go to a different city, lol.

free skin care · Sat Aug 10, 2013 9:37 pm

FYI that Lytera is 25% off at Lovelyskin with code ABC25.

http://www.lovelyskin.com/details.asp?PID=123847&MID=1679&PG=1

Sun Aug 11, 2013 10:37 am

Thanks, Bethany! Perfect timing!

free skin care · Sun Aug 11, 2013 11:21 am

No problem....glad to help!

FYI that you can possibly get a free sample size of Lytera as well when you check out. Great for travel!

free skin care · Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:40 pm

FYI that due to a product test I am doing for the next 6 months, I will be using the Lytera on my hands and arms, and possibly my chest.

I am still really liking the potential of this product based on all the different actives it contains.

free skin care · Sun Aug 18, 2013 1:35 pm

bethany wrote:

FYI that due to a product test I am doing for the next 6 months, I will be using the Lytera on my hands and arms, and possibly my chest.

I am still really liking the potential of this product based on all the different actives it contains.

FYI that I used this on my chest last night, and apparently got it too close to my neck area. I woke up with a rash on my lower neck this morning. Embarassed

free skin care · Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:51 pm

bethany wrote:

FYI that I used this on my chest last night, and apparently got it too close to my neck area. I woke up with a rash on my lower neck this morning. Embarassed

So the neck rash turned into neck hives and a minor chest rash. This is strong stuff.

Back to the arms and hands for now.

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