It’s safe to say that all men and women, regardless of skin color, want brighter skin. And by “brighter,” I mean healthy-looking, radiant skin, and an even complexion. Whiter skin, however, is entirely different.
“Huh? But isn’t that the same thing?” you may ask. Well, precisely speaking, no. Whitening and brightening are beauty terms often used and interchanged carelessly, and so here I will try to set the facts straight.
White not? What “whitening” really means:
To achieve whiter skin means wanting a lighter skin tone and would require drastic measures. This is usually achieved by skin bleaching, inhibiting melanin production (and melanin is what our skin needs to protect us from the UV rays!), or by making skin thinner. These processes alter what’s natural for our skin.
Other available methods are through oral supplements or injections, and at this point I’d like to emphasize that skin whitening really needs to be done with the advice and recommendation of a professional. For best results (and your own safety!), don’t buy products and try treatments without consulting a dermatologist first.
Brights out! Who doesn’t want brighter skin?
On the other hand, brightening is where we try to reverse what time and experience has done to our skin. The main purpose is to bring back the radiance to our dull skin.
Dark skin or uneven skin tone is primarily caused by two things: sun exposure (remember the times you “forgot” to put on sunscreen?) and acne (a.k.a. pesky pimple marks!). And the goal of skin lightening is to bring back your skin to how it was before all the bad elements. Licorice, kojic acid, vitamin C, and certain alpha hydroxyl acids are commonly included in products to brighten skin.
The products that brighten:
Dermatologist-recommended, naturally-formulated, and paraben-free soaps and bath bars from local brand, Angel Skin, are created primarily to help achieve bright, supple, and angel-like skin.
Each bar is formulated to address specific skin concerns such as dark spots, acne, or skin sensitivity. Try the Lightening Bar with Kojic or the Lightening Bar with Gluta in place of your usual bath bar. Also, check out the Transparent Facial Bar for sensitive skin, or the Anti-Acne Clarifying Bar, which helps manage and clear up acne.
Other brightening products worth trying:
Written By:
Patti Sunio aka Tita Pacita
BEAUTY CONTRIBUTOR
Tita Pacita of www.titapacita.com is a lifestyle, culture, and fashion & beauty writer from Manila. With her wisdom and almost thirty years of life experience, she likes to share what she knows and give unsolicited advice, true to her Tita ways. Her makeup choices are primarily based on instinct, and, believe it or not, K-Beauty.