Skin Brightening vs. Skin Lightening
There's so much talk about bleaching agents that sometimes people get confused when products that target dark spots are mentioned.
What is Skin Brightening?
Achieving Brighter Skin: Understanding Skin Brightening and How to Make it Happen
Skin brightening refers to the revitalization of your skin’s natural glow. It's more focused on eliminating dead, dull cells from the skin's surface rather than targeting specific pigmentation spots. To achieve brighter skin, there are several different strategies, products and ingredients that can be used. However, removing dead cells and dullness is a crucial step for improving radiance and glow. This is typically done through physical and chemical exfoliation. Additionally, maintaining healthy skin requires moisturization, sun protection, and hydration.
Skin lightening specifically targets pigmentation.
Exploring the Differences between Skin Brightening and Lightening
While skin lightening treatments have been developed to whiten or bleach skin, this article does not focus on that. The idea of targeting pigmentation to make the skin appear whiter is contentious and rooted in colonialism and racially disparate beauty ideals. It's essential to note that skin whitening should only be administered under prescription medication and physician supervision, as off-market use of certain chemicals and drugs (like hydroquinone and mercury) can cause severe harm.
However, targeting discoloration and uneven skin tone for cosmetic purposes is desirable to reduce the appearance of age spots, photodamage, melasma, scars, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is where the distinction between brightening and lightening becomes blurry. Ingredients such as Vitamin C and retinol work to even skin tone and are considered both brightening agents and lightening agents.
Rather than pitting brightening against lightening, it's more important to focus on achieving radiant, glowing skin while minimizing scars, spots, and marks. A comprehensive strategy that uses the right ingredients is key to accomplishing this goal.