Benefits of Professional Skin Lightening Treatment vs. At-Home Remedies

Benefits of Skin Lightening Treatments vs. At-Home Remedies

A Skin lightening treatment is often confused with delivering skin fairness. However, the primary goal of professional services or home remedies is to achieve radiant skin by reducing hyperpigmentation and fading the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone. 

Every individual’s natural skin tone is beautiful, and changing it only reflects the amount of exploitation beauty standards have on our thought process. Now, to navigate more easily through the battle between home remedies and professional treatments, this blog is here to help. Read further to know more.

What are Professional Skin Lightening Treatments?

Professional-grade skin lightening treatments involve a range of dermatological practices that can control excess melanin production in the skin cells, leading to a more radiant, brighter and even-toned appearance. Such practices help address skin concerns like signs of ageing, sun damage-induced dark spots, post-acne marks and hyperpigmentation, helping restore the skin’s natural radiance.

5 Benefits of Professional Skin Lightening Treatments

Skin lightening and whitening treatments help you achieve more than just a radiant and clearer complexion; they also boost your confidence. Know more about professional skin lightening benefits through the following points:

  1. Fades Hyperpigmentation: Skin lightening therapies help in correcting hyperpigmentation that is caused by post-acne marks (PIH or PIE), sun exposure and hormonal imbalances. These procedures help fade the appearance of dark spots and pigmented patches by curbing melanin production and stimulating cell renewal. 
  2. Controls Sun Damage: Prolonged sun exposure can sabotage the skin, causing age spots, uneven skin tone and tanning. A combined therapy of skin brightening treatment and broad-spectrum sunscreen can restore the skin’s natural glow, leaving a youthful and rejuvenated complexion.
  3. Improves Self Image: Hyperpigmentation and dark spots can cause an individual’s self-confidence to diminish. Addressing these skin issues with the help of skin and body whitening treatments improves self-esteem by empowering affected individuals to feel secure and confident in their skin. 
  4. Enables Customisation of Treatments: Unlike home remedies, an individual can avail of professional skin lightening procedures tailored to their skin concerns. Based on the intensity of unevenness of skin tone, skin type and desired results, one can choose between non-abrasive chemical peels and clinically advanced laser procedures. 
  5. Increases the Efficacy of Skincare: Specific skin lightening procedures help smooth skin texture, offering a plain and silky canvas for key skincare actives like retinol, multi peptides, and vitamin C to penetrate deeper. This also optimises the benefits of an individual’s daily skincare routine for a radiant and healthy complexion.

3 Effective and Safe Skin Lightening Treatments

While there is a range of skin lightening treatments available across the cosmetology and esthetician world, some of the most popular and safe treatment options are marked below:

Chemical Peels Treatment

A chemical solution of salicylic acid or glycolic acid exfoliates the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin, revealing a more radiant and smoother complexion. These chemical peeling solutions work exceptionally well for skin concerns like melasma, post-acne hyperpigmentation and superficial acne scars.

Topical Skin Lightening Treatments

Skin lightening ingredients in OTC (Over the Counter) creams and serums, like azelaic acid, kojic acid, hydroquinone, or vitamin C, can help even skin tone and minimise the appearance of hyperpigmentation. While these are readily available at drugstores, they must be used under a doctor’s supervision to avoid possible side effects. One should apply it directly to the affected areas across the face and body.

Professional laser therapies at renowned clinics use advanced lasers like the Q-switched laser, which precisely and effectively target and disintegrate melanin deposits in the skin, thereby fading dark spots, the appearance of melasma, and other hyperpigmentation issues.

5 Common Myths and Facts About Professional Skin Lightening Solutions

While the skin lightening and brightening treatments help in restoring the skin’s lost radiance, some myths may discourage you from achieving clear, bright skin. Read  to know more:

Fact: Similar to other skincare products in your daily routine, skin brightening topical solutions take time to show results. No such topical creams or serums can work overnight. Consistently using the prescribed solutions in the recommended amount and application method will start showing results in a few weeks or months.

Fact: Skin lightening treatments are not limited to any specific skin tone. Even light-toned people can get dark spots and hyperpigmentation because of factors like sun damage and acne marks. Hence, these professional procedures help people of all skin tones to minimise the appearance of dark patches and sun damage spots.

Fact: Common chemicals used for skin brightening include kojic acid, azelaic acid, and hydroquinone, which well-established dermatological clinics use in safe concentrations. However, overuse of these chemicals can cause skin sensitivity and irritation; hence, seeking professional service is significant.

Fact: There’s no such thing as ‘permanent skin lightening treatment’ as the results obtained from these procedures can last only a few months or years, depending on the treatment type and the patient’s skin type. Maintenance is essential to retain the outcomes.

Fact: No, firstly, any individual can benefit from skin whitening treatments irrespective of their gender. Secondly, the cost of such procedures is based on the intensity of the individual’s skin condition, the professional service provider, the type of treatment, and the location. Topical solutions are often relatively less expensive than laser therapies.

6 Common Home Remedies for Skin Fairness

Skin Whitening home remedies

Home remedies for skin lightening comprise a few common kitchen ingredients like gram flour, turmeric, lemon, yoghurt, rice water and papaya. Here are 6 of the relevant skin whitening remedies at home that one seeking a ‘natural fix’ can check:

  1. Lemon Extracts: With the skin whitening properties of citric acid and vitamin C, application of lemon juice helps reduce hyperpigmentation as it regulates melanin count. It further aids in skin exfoliation, revealing an even-toned complexion.

     

  2. Papaya: The papain enzyme in papaya aids in gentle exfoliation of dead cells, leading to new cell generation and lightening of dark patches.
     
  3. Rice Water: Infused with antioxidants, rice water has been a constant ingredient for achieving glass skin. It improves texture, imparts brightness, and makes an individual glow from within.

     

  4. Gram Flour (Besan): A natural exfoliant ingredient found in every Indian kitchen, which aids in brightening the skin, removing tan, and reversing skin damage.

     

  5. Potato: Used in a juice form, potatoes reduce pigmentation through the enzyme catecholase. The vitamin C in it further brightens the skin.

     

  6. Turmeric and Yoghurt Paste: Turmeric controls hyperpigmentation by inhibiting melanin production, while yoghurt (containing lactic acid) helps exfoliate and hydrate the skin.

Benefits of Skin Lightening Treatments at Home

Home remedies for skin whitening are popular in Asian households for the following benefits:

Most of the ingredients found in home remedies are found in every Indian kitchen or local grocery stores. Natural ingredients are budget-friendly, making them a viable option for many.

Natural home remedies are gentler on the skin as they are free from any harsh chemicals. This builds trust among many individuals by familiarising them with skincare regimes.

Unlike commercial skin lightening services, home remedies do not require monthly or yearly maintenance. Using them for a certain period in the correct method can reveal sustainable results.

Facts about Body and Skin Lightening Treatment at Home

‘Natural ways are always safe,’ but is it? Take a look at these facts about body and skin lightening treatment at home that clinical experts highlight:

Explanation: While ingredients like yoghurt, turmeric and lemon may be budget-friendly options and offer temporary radiant-like results, they don’t penetrate deep into the skin to reverse melanin-induced hyperpigmentation.

Explanation: Professional skin lightening therapies use scientifically tested and clinically proven ingredients (in safer concentrations) and technology that provides sustainable and reliable results by targeting pigmentation at the root.

Explanation: Ingredients like lemon juice or baking soda can irritate the skin, strip the natural oils, disrupt the skin barrier, and even cause burns, hence worsening pigmentation in the applied areas. Falling for home remedy propaganda can prove harmful for sensitive skin.

When to Consult a Doctor?

If you are experiencing the side effects of home remedies and seeking professional guidance for spotless and radiant skin, booking an appointment at Wizderm will be a smart, trusted step. At Wizderm, experienced dermatologists offer personalised skin lightening treatments tailored to your unique skin type, concerns, and budget. 

Instead of superficial fixes, you will receive a detailed skin analysis and a customised treatment plan designed to deliver safer, longer-lasting results. Check this out to learn more about our professional skin lightening procedures.

Professional Skin Lightening Treatments Vs. Home Remedies: Which is Better?

While home remedies may seem affordable and harmless, they can be quite ineffective when it comes to outcomes and may even heighten irritation and allergies for sensitive skin. Professional skin lightening services at Wizderm are science-backed, dermatologist-led, and customised to your unique skin needs. 

Take a step towards a clearer, brighter complexion and sustainable skin health without the guesswork. Book an appointment online today to connect with top experts across India!

FAQs

Are skin lightening treatments safe for all skin types?

Yes, skin lightening treatments are safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin, if availed from a trusted and well-established, dermatologist-led clinic like Wizderm.

Noticeable results depend mainly on the type of professional treatment availed for skin lightening. For treatments like a hydra facial or mild chemical peels, one can see visible differences in their skin tone instantly. However, topical or oral treatments, or laser therapies have a greater downtime (cooling period), and can show positive changes eventually.

No, there are no side effects of laser skin lightening procedures at Wizderm. Also, how one’s skin reacts to different types of procedures depends on their skin type and the type of treatment. Having said this, one may feel a slight tingling or burning sensation if their skin comes in contact with strong acids or laser light. Importantly, these skin reactions are temporary; however, one should use a cold compress if the redness and inflammation are concerning.

Skin lightening treatment cost in India ranges between Rs. 1,800 to Rs. 5,500 for chemical peels, while for laser treatments, it costs somewhere between Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 40,000. At Wizderm, the cost for chemical peels starts from Rs. 3,000 and ends at up to Rs. 50,000 for cosmelan treatments.

Yes, at Wizderm, clinical experts recommend a combination of skin lightening treatments with other dermatological procedures for better results. For example, a doctor may suggest topical creams with chemical peels for someone battling with hyperpigmentation for issues like inflammation, hormonal changes and sun damage.

Clinical treatments for skin lightening are gender neutral, enabling even men to target the root cause of hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone, to reveal a brighter and healthier complexion.