Removing hyperpigmentation?

bamagirl26

bamagirl26

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Normally I'm extremely diligent when it comes to protecting my skin from the sun - I was in Florida last week - I was outside EVERY day, though I used an umbrella and reapplied sunscreen/wore a hat etc. a lot.

so this week, I spent one day at the beach and the weather was beautiful, with cool breezes... I didn't feel any burning happening, and even though I applied sunscreen a few times, my chest ended up burnt.. it's okay now, but on top of that, I went on what I believed would be a fast trip to the bathroom, but my friend wanted to go down to a shop and we ended up walking for roughly an hour and I had removed my hat since I assumed it was just a quick in/out bathroom trip.

My face received FAR more sun than I wanted, and now I think I've got strange sun spots/hyperpigmentation on my face. I'm hoping all of this will fade, but is there anything I can do to get rid of it quickly. So frustrating because I'm SO careful about shielding my face from the sun- even during Winter!
 
For me, nothing worked as well as hydroquinone at 4% (my first source for it was Musely). You won't see changes overnight, but next to all the other options I'd cycled through across the years, the improvement came quickly. One catch: you've got to be extremely consistent with sun protection, since while on it you may apparently become more prone to sunspots, and after 1 or 2 months you're meant to take a break from it too.
 
Over the years, I've seen so many visitors who underestimate how different the Florida sun is from what they're used to back home. Getting badly burned happens fast here — particularly when there's a cool breeze and it doesn't feel like the sun is doing damage.

My honest advice: don't reach for hydroquinone yet. The kind of spots you're describing typically fade gradually by themselves, and this has only been going on for a short while. Hydroquinone really does work well, as @Dos-Dox pointed out (I turned to it years ago for a dark spot on my face); it's simply better kept in reserve for stubborn cases rather than new marks.

Should you want to move things along, a vitamin C serum in the morning or azelaic acid can help gently; keep hydroquinone/tretinoin (plus a derm appointment) for spots that are still there after a couple of months.
 
Before resorting to stronger options, I'd suggest giving the niacinamide serum from Dollar Tree a shot. Should that prove ineffective, the next step could be adapalene (Differin). After that, tretinoin (Retin-A), which is prescription-only in most cases. Hydroquinone should be saved for the very end. It might be worth looking into the lasting effects it may cause on the skin (such as permanent damage).
 
Grogu said:

Over the years, I've seen so many visitors who underestimate how different the Florida sun is from what they're used to back home. Getting badly burned happens fast here — particularly when there's a cool breeze and it doesn't feel like the sun is doing damage.

My honest advice: don't reach for hydroquinone yet. The kind of spots you're describing typically fade gradually by themselves, and this has only been going on for a short while. Hydroquinone really does work well, as @Dos-Dox pointed out (I turned to it years ago for a dark spot on my face); it's simply better kept in reserve for stubborn cases rather than new marks.

Should you want to move things along, a vitamin C serum in the morning or azelaic acid can help gently; keep hydroquinone/tretinoin (plus a derm appointment) for spots that are still there after a couple of months.
Click to expand...
Is it okay to apply vitamin C or azelaic acid along with SPF during the morning, then use hydroquinone in the evening?
 
Grogu makes a good point — exfoliation could really help in this situation, though there's 1 condition: skip it if your skin is already irritated, red or inflamed. An exfoliating powder is another option worth considering. Good Molecules Pineapple Exfoliating Powder is the 1 I reach for most...my skin ends up sooo soft after using it. Don't forget to moisturize either, since hydrated skin makes a huge difference. A body lotion containing glycolic acid is worth trying, because it aids in shedding dead skin.

Should things turn out to be genuine hyper pigmentation (meaning a month or 2 go by with no change), that's when hydroquinone comes in. If you go that route, do your research properly (spot treat only, stick to the recommended length of time, etc)
 
Grogu said:

Over the years, I've seen so many visitors who underestimate how different the Florida sun is from what they're used to back home. Getting badly burned happens fast here — particularly when there's a cool breeze and it doesn't feel like the sun is doing damage.

My honest advice: don't reach for hydroquinone yet. The kind of spots you're describing typically fade gradually by themselves, and this has only been going on for a short while. Hydroquinone really does work well, as @Dos-Dox pointed out (I turned to it years ago for a dark spot on my face); it's simply better kept in reserve for stubborn cases rather than new marks.

Should you want to move things along, a vitamin C serum in the morning or azelaic acid can help gently; keep hydroquinone/tretinoin (plus a derm appointment) for spots that are still there after a couple of months.
Click to expand...
Nope, I did everything right while in Florida. It was the sun back home that

got me!!
 
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