Melasma Treatment : Beauty and Fashion Tech

Review: Dermaquest Dermaclear Acne Treatment

DermaQuest Skin Therapy Dermaclear (aka Rejuvaderm) has been my acne treatment of choice for the past six weeks. I chose it after careful research, searching for products with treatment ingredients that might also assist in treating melasma and that were non-comedogenic. Amazingly many of the drugstore acne treatment products, and some of the expensive ones as well, contain acne causing ingredients of fairly high concern.

I have been very pleased with my choice. As active treatment ingredients, Dermaclear contains Salicylic Acid 2%, Azelaic Acid 5%, and Glycolic Acid 10%. This is a fairly strong combination, especially with 10% Glycolic Acid, so those with sensitive skin might want tobe careful with this one because of the strength. Irritating your skin can actually cause acne. Personally, I like the high amount of Glycolic Acid and the addition of Azalaic Acid, because these do double duty for me by also treating melsama. The formula also contains ingredients to soothe inflammation, which makes the strength more tolerable. I have not experienced any issues with irritation or drying from the Dermaquest formulation, but my skin is not particularly sensitive either.

In my six weeks of use, my acne has cleared quite a bit. It hasn’t disappeared, and unfortunately I don’t think it is going to completely clear without a visit to the dermatologist. But I have seen a very large improvement. In addition to Dermaclear, I am using a Dermaquest cleanser and am alternating in Retin-A and DS Labs Trioxil as my other primary acne treatments. I also rotate in DDF Fade Gel for melasma and acne treatment (read review). I will be posting a review of Trioxil in the next week or so.

At $60, Dermaclear is definitely on the expensive side. I find that I need very little, so it lasts fairly long though. I have found it worth the price and will repurchase this item when it is gone.

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Popularity: 16% [?]

DDF Fade Gel 4 Melasma Treatment, Treating Melsama and Acne Together

When my recent favorite treatment for melasma and hyperpigmentation from PCA Skin Care (read review) ran out, I decided to try a similar product from another brand simply for review purposes. That always makes me a bit nervous, because when I find something that works, I hate to switch. But in this case there was no need to worry. DDF Fade Gel 4 has been working wonderfully for me.

DDF Fade Gel 4 Treating Melasma and Hyperpigmentation Skin Care

I chose DDF for a couple of reasons. First, I like melasma treatment products that contain multiple active ingredients, because studies have shown that combining and switching between actives is more effective in producing fading. DDF Fade Gel 4 meets that requirement with some of my favorites, such as glycolic acid, kojic acid, salicylic acid, lemon and lime oils, azelaic acid, and 2% hydroquinone. Second, I have been having some issues with acne, and DDF’s Fade Gel does not contain any ingredients of particular concern for causing acne, while its glycolic, salicylic, and azelaic acids can treat and prevent acne — Might as well get double duty from a product when you can!

Using the DDF Fade Gel in the mornings, and in combination with an evening application of Renova (Retin-A), along with a daily sunscreen, such as Philosophy A Pigment Of Your Imagination SPF 18 (Read Review), I have continued to see further lightening on pigmented areas. Of most importance, there has not been any darkening, despite the fact that I decreased my treatment regime to one application per day so that I could use the evening to focus on acne. I also saw no increase in my acne from using the DDF product and believe it helped in my overall treatment of both my acne and melsma.

Overall, I give DDF fade Gel 4 a big thumbs up and highly recommend it for melasma treatment or for general hyperpigmentation or discoloration. I particularly recommend it for those who are also treating acne or seeking to prevent breakouts. Something to note is that PCA Skin Care was fine for acne as well, so I find it and the DDF product to be pretty interchangeable. In the future I will likely buy whiever is cheaper or on sale.

For those concerned about hydroquinione, DDF makes DDF Intensive Holistic Lightener which is a hydroquinone free lightener. I haven’t tried that one and personally prefer hydroquinone since I have no problems with it. However, some are sensitive to hydroquinone or concered about cancer risk reports with it. For those who want to avoid it, the ingredient list is pretty good with the following ingredients: albatin, arbutin, bearberry extract, mulberry extract, licorice, skull cap, azelaic and glycolic acids. I wish kojic acid was in there though.

If you go with this one, I suggest combining it with Philosophy a Pigment of Your Imagination, linked above, in order to add some kojic acid to the mix. You should be wearing sunscreen anyway for the best treatment, so you might as well get double duty from your choice of product!

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Popularity: 15% [?]

Philosophy a Pigment of Your Imagination Sunscreen, Melasma Treatment in a Sunscreen

Everyone should be concerned about sun exposure. If you aren’t all that worried about things like skin cancer (you should be), then remember that the sun also causes wrinkles (ack!). If you happen to have melasma, hyperpigmentation, or similar discoloration, it becomes even more important.

Philosophy a pigment of your imagination spf 18 is a particularly good sunscreen for melasma sufferers because it contains treatment ingredients. It also can be good for those who suffer from acne because of a general lack of acne causing ingredients. Aside from the melasma treatment actives, I chose to try it partly because several of my favorite sunscreens have been causing breakouts for me lately.

The idea of adding skin lightening active to sunscreen intrigues me. I love the idea and am surprised that more companies haven’t done so. DHC has a sunscreen that I absolutely adore with arbutin (read review), and Philosophy’s sunscreen contains both arbutin and kojic acid. By adding actives that act to block pigmentation, the sunscreen does double duty, because the damaging rays are blocked and so are some of the skin reactions that lead to melasma. Hopefully more companies will pick up on this.

Philosophy a pigment of your imagination is a pretty good standard SPF 18 sunscreen. I found that it absorbs OK, albeit a bit slowly. After a few week’s use, I have not broken out from it and am generally quite happy with it. Using a pigment of your imagination in conjunction with my daily melasma treatment, I have continued to see lightening in some areas, and certainly have not experienced worsened pigmentation in any areas.

The sunscreen does have an odd yellow tint to it from the kojic acid, but that is not apparent on the skin. It also is not all that moisturizing, so if you use your sunscreen for light moisture, you might need to add something with this one. I find that on particularly dry days, I need to add a moisturizer. There also is a bit of a packaging issue with it. Because it is in a tube with a flat cap, it would be standard to store it sitting upright on the cap. But this causes the sunscreen to run into the cap area. Then when the tube is opened, there is always a good amount of sunscreen all over the top. I find it a bit annoying, although it won’t stop me from purchasing the product again.

The sunscreen also lacks a physical blocker such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Instead, it has purely chemical blockers. I prefer to have a physical blocker in my sunscreens. However, I have taken care of that issue by generally wearing a mineral powder foundation or finishing powder that contains a physical blocker (most do) over my areas of melasma. When I plan to go outdoors without makeup for a length of time, then I choose one of my other sunscreens that contains physical blockers.

I generally purchase Philosophy products online, but they are also available at various department stores and cosmetics stores.

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Popularity: 15% [?]

Prescriptives Px Vibrant-C Skin Brightening Lotion Moisturizer

Many people think of foundation when they think of Prescriptives, and they do indeed have great foundation. I highly recommend getting color matched if you have not done so before!

But Prescriptives also makes some great skin care items in their Px line. I have previously used their skin tone correcting serum, which I think is now discontinued, and I love the PX intensive Rebuilding Moisturizer.

Based on my past good experiences, I was pretty happy to have the chance to try out Prescriptives Px Vibrant-C Lotion. This light moisturizer reminds me quite a bit of the skin brightening serum, which also focused on Vitamin C, except that it comes in a lotion form. The product has a good vitamin C tingle, which if anything like past Prescriptives Vitamin C products, should be fairly stable and do a decent job of actually brightening the skin and lightening mild melasma or hyperpigmentation. Because it is a moisturizer, it also can be used nicely over other skin lightening serums for creating a combination approach to melasma treatment. For example, I have been using it over my favorite treatment cleanser and serum from PCA Skin Care. It makes for a very nice combination, especially if you like using both serums and lotions.

As a light lotion moisturizer, Vibrant-C also stands out. I found that it absorbed quickly and completely, with only a small amount needed to get the desired effect of adding some light moisture. I suspect that I will be purchasing more of this product when the bottle that I was sent is empty.

Prescriptives has also added a skin brightening moisture cream to the line if you need a higher amount of moisture. They offer a skin brightening eye cream as well. Prescriptives can be found online at various department stores. For example, I usually get their products at Macys.

I also am trying Prescriptives Intensive Rebuilding Moisture-Rich Cleanser. So keep an eye out for a future post on that!

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Popularity: 8% [?]

PCA Skin Care Hyperpigmentation and Melasma Treatment Products

I have been using PCA’s products for melasma and hyperpigmenation for over a month now and give them a big thumbs up!

The star of the two products is the PCA SKIN pHaze 13 Pigment Gel. This serum, with azaleic acid, kojic acid, lactic acid, Vitamin C, and hydroquinone has been the most effective serum that I have used on my melasma. Using it twice daily in conjunction with Renova (aka Retin-A, Trentinoin) at night, and with a morning scrub, I had noticeable lightening after a couple of weeks. I was previously using a hydroquinone cream, with less results.

The combination of the treatment actives in this serum is the key. Plus I tend to feel that serums deliver the actives better than creams do. Yes, this does contain hydroquinone, so if you have concerns about that, it isn’t for you. PCA does make a hyroquinone free version as well.

The PCA SKIN pHaze 13 Pigment Bar is a unique treatment product. This glycerin type soap comes in a jar with an exfoliating pad. The soap contains azealic and kojic acids to treat, plus adds the combination of glucosamine and niacinamide, which has been shown to be an effective pigment inhibiting combination. I was happy to see that in this product since those are fairly cheap actives to add, yet are still not included in many melasma treatments. The pad gives some extra exfoliation. I liked this product quite a bit, but I did not always use the pad simply because I already use a scrub in the shower.

The combination of these two products left me quite impressed. For anyone looking for an over the counter melasma treatment, I suggest giving these a try, especially if you can add some prescription Tretinoin, or a strong over the counter retinol to the mix.

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Popularity: 17% [?]

Review: DHC Sunsceens, White for Melasma, Q10 for Aging, and Dual Defense for Moisture

DHC makes some great skin care products, so it is no surprise that they have some excellent sunscreens as well. By incorporating DHC’s signature olive oil, the sunscreens feel terrific, and by adding in some treatment actives, a couple of the sunscreens are also rather unique.

One very unique sunscreen that also happens to be my favorite, is DHC White Sunscreen. With titanium dioxide 5% and zinc oxide 10% as physical blockers, this broad-spectrum SPF 25 sunscreen is a good choice for those concerned about melasma or hyperpigmentation. But there is more. By including alpha-arbutin, a good nonprescription skin brightener, and vitamin C, DHC has created a sunscreen that is also a treatment product. As with other DHC products, it also contains olive leaf extract, along with aloe leaf extract, and vitamin E.

DHC White sunscreen is a joy to wear. It is a very light lotion that moisturizes slightly and absorbs quickly with no white residue. I find it to be one of the most comfortable sunscreens around. I have also found arbutin to be a fairly effective melasma treatment. By inhibiting melanin production, it is perfect to combine it with a sunscreen to make going out in the sun feel just a bit extra safe for those like myself who worry about what melasma spot just might be waiting to come out. The only downside is that
at $23/ounce it is a bit expensive, although I tend to prefer the higher cost sunscreens anyway, so that price is fine for me.

For those with aging skin, DHC Suncut Q10 Sunscreen SPF 30 combines full spectrum sunscreen with coenzyme Q10. The entire DHC Q10 line is pretty popular and the products feel quite nice. So if you are a fan of the Q10 line or like coenzyme Q products, you might want to give this one a try. It is also a bit more affordable at $15/ounce. The Active sunscreen ingredients are octinoxate 5.0%, oxybenzone 0.1%, titanium dioxide 5.8%, zinc oxide 20.0%

For a kick of moisture from your sunscreen give DHC Dual Defense Sunscreen a try. This one contains DHC’s signature olive oil and rice germ oil. Nicely moisturizing, this one is perfect for those with normal to dry skin. The active sunscreen ingredients: octinoxate (4%), and titanium dioxide (3.3%). $27 for 3.5 ounces.

Interested in other DHC Products? See my other DHC reviews:
DHC Velvet Skin Coat
DHC Skin Care Reviews Part I
DHC Skin Care Reviews Part II
DHC Lip Conditioners at GirlGloss

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Popularity: 8% [?]

L’Oreal Revitalift UV Cream with Mexoryl, SPF 15

I was quite happy to see the new L’Oreal sunscreen, L’Oreal Dermo-Expertise Revitalift UV, Daily Moisturizing Cream with Sunscreen, because I have been waiting for a sunscreen with Mexoryl to become easily available at the drugstores.

With that said, I do have a little quibble with L’Oreal’s advertising. They have been portraying the sunscreen as “just approved” by the FDA and “finally available.” Well, guess what? It was approved over a year ago and has been available in the United States for some time in my favorite sunblock, Lancome UV Expert, and in La Roche-Posay Anthelios, both of which happen to be a L’Oreal companies. Sketchy advertising honestly bugs me and this is good stuff that doesn’t need the exaggerated newness factor.

OK, so now that I got my little advertising rant out of the way, I do recommend this sunscreen. With the help of Mexoryl as an ingredient, it provides full spectrum protection. It is moisturizing and absorbs well, but unlike its predecessors, it is pretty easy to find in any local drugstore. Further, it is a bit cheaper than the others.

I still prefer the Lancome branded version because it includes a physical blocker as well as Mexoryl. When I reported on the sunscreen database, one of the concerns I found about Mexoryl was that like many chemical blockers, it is not entirely stable in sunlight. So I tend to like a physical blocker mixed with my chemical blockers. Since the Lancome version has that, it is my first choice. But it is nice to see yet another, and a bit more accessible, alternative.

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Popularity: 8% [?]