Hello, I am Dr. Ji-in Jung, a dermatologist. Many people prefer fair facial skin. Especially for women, the dream of fair skin is very strong. Today, I will tell you in detail about skin whitening, which helps create 'bright and smooth skin'.
What exactly is skin whitening?
Skin whitening is a concept that goes beyond simply removing pigment. It includes all efforts to prepare before pigment is even created, to inactivate existing pigment, to effectively remove generated pigment, and to even out overall uneven skin tone.
'Whitening' treatment, what are its effects?
Recently, a treatment with the attractive name 'Whitening' has been spreading in skin care shops and beauty salons. 'Whitening' is the opposite concept of tanning, which darkens the skin, and means creating fair skin. This treatment is based on the idea that by stimulating the skin with infrared 230 nanometer (nm) wavelength to help collagen formation and promote skin cell regeneration, it can improve skin texture and make it firm, thereby aiding in whitening.
However, this is not a treatment that directly destroys melanin cells or turns pigment white. Rather, it can be seen as similar to equipment used to aid in calming and regeneration after Botulinum Toxin or various other treatments. As a dermatologist, I do not believe that this equipment alone has a separate, significant whitening effect.
The definition of cosmetics is 'safe for use by many people'. It is not that there is no effect, but you may feel that it does not meet expectations compared to its price. It has the effect of preventing further pigment production, but it is difficult to expect much effect in destroying existing pigment.
What ingredients are in oral whitening medications?
Tranexamic acid is a representative ingredient for oral medication, and Vitamin C or L-cysteine are also used. Tranexamic acid is originally used to reduce bleeding, but at low doses, it has the effect of suppressing melanin cells, so it is mainly used for melasma treatment. It is often taken along with dermatological procedures for patients with vascular melasma when treating melasma.
What is the whitening effect of 'Baekok Injection'?
The so-called 'Baekok Injection', which was once known to whiten skin color and became popular, contains an ingredient called Glutathione. Glutathione is known as a powerful antioxidant that suppresses active oxygen and has the effect of inhibiting melanin pigment production. However, it is difficult to say that glutathione injections alone dramatically reduced melanin pigment.
In fact, these treatments or medications do not show a big effect all at once, but rather show gradual effects and overall skin tone improvement with consistent and proper management over a long period.
Types of lasers for pigment treatment
Lasers for pigment treatment may vary slightly by clinic, and the following lasers are mainly used for treating deep pigment:
- Deep pigment treatment (melasma, skin tone improvement, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation relief):
- PicoSure
- RevLite
- C6
- LightSheer
- Toning: This treatment can be performed with minimal tissue damage and severe pain by irradiating the laser instantaneously in a short time. It can be effectively used for various pigmentary disorders such as deep melasma, freckles, and nevus of Ota.
- Shallow pigment spot treatment (freckles, blemishes):
- IPL
- Alexandrite
- Nd:YAG
Considerations for laser treatment
Laser treatment does not necessarily have to be repeated after a set period, or only received during a specific season. As it is a treatment that selectively destroys melanin pigment, it is important to avoid sun exposure as much as possible after the procedure. Therefore, it may be more advantageous to avoid the procedure in midsummer when there is a lot of sunlight, and seasons with less outdoor activity can be considered the optimal time for treatment.
In addition, a delicate treatment plan must be established according to the individual's skin type and degree of pigmentation. It is recommended to consult sufficiently with medical staff first to establish the most suitable schedule for you.
The most important care for fair skin
Today, we took time to learn about skin whitening. Again, the most important thing is to apply sunscreen thoroughly. Since skin color is determined by the amount of melanin pigment, if the skin has darkened due to UV rays, management is needed to prevent the active activity of melanin cells. Effectively blocking UV rays and preventing the formation of blemishes and melasma is the most basic and effective way to maintain fair skin.