Aldian Pramesta Aldian Pramesta
3 years ago

Testimonials and need help for my dark skin

Skin Range

Very dark - dark - middle - white - very white

My body white but little yellow, because im from asia, so my body white range is white.

But my face 😊 is dark i dont know why.

I use for 1 month, 2 layer serum:

- Glycolic acid 7%, salicylic acid 1%, lactobionic acid 3% (1x per 2 day)

- Astaxanthin 3% (2x per day)

- Niacinamide 10%, sabi white 0.3% (2x per day)

The result for my dark face is = very little 🙁

Next month, i use for 1 month 2 layer serum:

- Glycolic acid 7%, salicylic acid 1%, lactobionic acid 3% (1x per 2 day)

- Niacinamide 10%, sabi white 0.3% (2x per day)

- Arbutin 2%, sabi white 0.3%, bakuchiol 0.25% (2x per day)

The result for my dark face is = very little 🙁

Next month, i use for 1 month 2 layer serum:

- Retinol encapsulated 3% (2x per day)

- Bakuchiol 10% (2x per day)

The result for my dark face is = like nothing change 😂 very confuse with that very high concentration

Now i use 2 layer serum, maybe 10 day today:

- Lactobionic acid 10% (2x per day)

- Bakuchiol 2%, Niacinamide 5% (2x per day)

The result for my dark face is = very little

*All of my products have been registered and I buy them at the official store, so it 100% original and registered

I'm new to using high concentration beauty products, before this I only used under 1%. concentration below 1% doesn't affect anything on my skin for 4 years maybe, so sad, its waisting time and money, so the first product that amazed me was glycolic acid 7% and lactobionic acid 10%, make my skin thicken, smooth, plumpy and very little improvement for cure my dark skin per 1 month.

But its was "little" improvement for cure my dark skin, i need "big", my face and nect dark if compared with my body is very contrast difference.

Im still searching THE BEST ingredient, wish there was better ingredients, I read that the Wimj team was using vitamin C 10%-15%, Im scary to use pure ascorbic acid that was because unstable ingredient, but i dont know the truth and Maria reply my question she use retinoid and azelaic acid.

Im confuse now what ingredient i use next month 😅

Now i'm curious about:

1st NAG N-acetyl glucosamine *but nobody sell in high concentration in my country

2nd 10% glutathione

3rd 10% ascorbic acid

10% 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid

Nobody sell retinoid and azelaic in my country

Confuse.. need advice please Maria or anyone 😊

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Hello Aldian! It’s me again 👋

Do you think you could get a tretinoin cream 0.025% in a pharmacy in your country? It might be with prescription - but check with the pharmacy, it could be easier for you to get than other retinol it sounds like. Tretinoin is a retinoid cream, and it can definitely help reduce pigmentation. Please stick with a routine for 4-6 weeks before assessing the results. When starting, use it every other night, and gradually increase the frequency to every day.

If your skin is not very sensitive, I would also start an ascorbic acid serum, in 10-15% concentration if you can get it.

My hypothesis why you face is darker than your body (besides genetically factors) is that your face gets more sun exposure. So sunscreen is very important for you.

Again, please be patient: stick with a routine (and broad spectrum daily sunscreen) for a couple of months ideally before you assess the results for pigmentation.

I know it’s easier said than done, but please try to take your mind off this cosmetic issue so you can give a consistent routine a chance to work. Btw, I honestly do not think that the color difference is that noticeable (I think most people have their neck lighter than the face).

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ok maria thanks for the empathy, i will be consistent, i also have proof too 😊, because in my whole life, i have never experienced rapid changes, the first time i used glycolic acid 7% my melasma seemed to fade a little on the nose, after 1 month it seems to reach my cheeks, in the post why did I say "little change", it's because my face is still dark 😂, after 1 month off without glycolic acid, my face seems to have no change but a month later I use chemical exfoliator again but not glycolic acid instead lactobionic acid 10% and within 4 days, the effect looks like before. I can't if I have to go to the doctor for retinoids, because it must be expensive for me, and

I think I'll rethink changing to ascorbic acid after 4 months, if it's still dark-yellow I'll change it, but if 4 months later I'm yellow-white I'll still use lactobionic acid 10% and bakuchiol 2%, niacinamide 5 %, the pH of my lactobionic acid is closer to neutral so that doesn't make niacin flush on me, thank you also because I know that lactobionic acid is from Maria who answered that 30% lactobionic acid is the fastest whitening compared to retinol and WIMJ 😊 I really like it Serious lactobionic acid, of all serums it's the best that I've tasted and seen

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Maybe another little something to help: understand the way pigmentation happens in skin, and this understanding can help guide your choice of actives.

Our skin gets darker because a natural pigment, melanin gets produced in special skin cells. Once produced, melanin travels to the top layer of the skin and gets stored there. Our skin produces melanin because it protects the skin from the sun radiation (scientists estimate that melanin in skin is equivalent to a sunscreen with the SPF of about 4, but it will be different for each person and skin tone). So here is lesson #1: melanin gets produced as a reaction to sun exposure. This means that less sun light and more sunscreen = lighter skin & less pigmentation issues.

Melanin also gets produced in response to skin inflammation. This is why we get darker pigment in places of old acne spots or insect bites. Skin irritation from harsh washing, essential oils, fragrances etc can also make our skin more prone to inflammation. So the lesson #2 is that we need to minimize inflammation in our skin to help reduce pigmentation. This includes treating acne spots with anti-inflammatory ingredients (for example, salicylic acid as spot treatment). This also means choosing gentle skincare products, avoiding fragrance and not exfoliating too much.

This exfoliation point is very tricky. The thing is that peels (for example, strong acid peels) can help reduce old pigmentation because they help shed the old skin cells with melanin from the skin surface. Peels work pretty quickly for this. But the problem is that if you are exfoliating too much, your skin barrier can get too weak, and this can lead to skin irritation & inflammation. Inflammation means more new melanin production. And the lesson #3 is that acids & exfoliation can be both a friend & an enemy when fighting pigmentation. We should avoid skin irritation at all costs, and it means giving the skin breaks between peels, stoping or reducing the acid concentration if we notice any signs of irritation (dry skin, redness). And of course, using sunscreen religiously when we exfoliate.

Another way of reducing skin pigmentation is stoping the process of melanin production. Ingredients like retinoids, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), azelaic acid, kojic acid interfere in the melanin production process so that less melanin gets produced even if sun exposure took place. Lesson #4 is that we can use these skincare ingredients to decrease melanin production in addition to sun protection. It is still important to watch out for irritation when using these ingredients (basically, it's always better to go slow, reduce or stop application if you notice any signs of irritation, try to keep the rest of your skincare as gentle as possible - e.g. no harsh cleansing, no scrubbing, no fragrance or essential oils + daily sunscreen).

The reason why seeing results for pigmentation takes a few months is that melanin is produced by cells in the deep layers of the skin, and it takes over a month for some of the old pigmented cells to get shed, and the new, less pigmented ones to get to the surface. Exfoliation can produce faster results because it removes the top layers of the skin. But it only works if there is less new melanin production happening (meaning that we are protecting our skin from sun and avoid irritation). If we are exfoliating and not protecting the skin from sun, we are not reducing pigmentation and it can even get worse.

Sorry it's a long comment - but hoping it could help you steer your skincare regime so you get the results you are looking for!

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Ok Maria, hmm i'm afraid you're worried to me if im wrong when using skin care products and make my skin to bad, so i want to make you relax hehe its ok Maria, if I misinterpret, it's my fault Maria.

So i want to tell about my skin care routine:

- I have SPF 30 *I only go out in the afternoon, i rarely go out during the day

- All my skin care include serum, toner, bath soap, face wash, cleanser, body lotion and other is:

*no PEG

*no Perfume

*no sulfates

*no alcohol

*no silicones

*no support fungal acne

*low comedogenic

*irritation level in my product is very better if compare with other product

%yes low concentration like PEG, silicones, sulfate are safe, im just too totality haha

- i use double cleanser with micellar water 2x per day + 2x face wash, my micellar water is have low irritation ingredient.

- my face is not dry and redness except when using glycolic acid, that why i move to lactobionic acid

- on my lactobionic acid product there write i can use it 2x per day, 4-5 drops per use and im not use it 3 layer for get 30% lactobionic acid

- why i use bakuchiol? because im read im forgot maybe on journal that (1) skin cell regeneration and (2) can inhibit tyrosinase/melanin. The conclusion "(2)= it double whitening, I think it will whiten my skin faster."

- why i use lactobionic acid? because (1) i need weak exfoliating and moisturizer so i can use it everyday, it multifunction: exfoliation ,moisturizing, inhibit melanin / tyrosinase ,anti oxidation ,anti aging ,anti inflammatory, anti blemish (2) i read maybe journal im forgot just 1 so sad, that can inhibit melanin, better but not strong inhibit. "So this is double whitening too, i think it will whiten my skin faster."

- why i use niacinamide? this is just a complement and just in case because there are a lot of journals, rather than bakuchiol and lactobionic acid, it multifuction and (1) inhibit melanin. "Just (1) whitening ability."

- what my weakness? my weakness have no benchmark to know what 'Strongest' ingredient that inhibit melanin/tyrosinase, that why i confuse when know you use vitamin c and azelaic acid, i think "Is that ingredient have inhibitor melanin was stronger than other ingredients or i use now?" because i think u have a lot experience, owh i love ingredients.

*I cant compare using journal comparison, because difference journal use difference concentration. and rarely using high concentration, so it just can compare using experience maybe

Thank you Maria, your explanation about inflammation trigger melanin was new for me.

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You are a Pro yourself Aldian, well done! Sending your some consistency vibes to stick to the routine you've chosen, and hope you'll get the results soon!

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