by Alicia Green

The truth is that there are safe, natural and effective ways to fade pigmentation without cosmetic surgery. Many of these are relatively unknown. In skin lightening, knowledge is key. Some of these little known ways to lighten pigmentation are topical applications, such as whitening creams, acids, and other solutions to apply to your face - some of which you can even make yourself from ingredients you buy at the grocery store. Others are internal supplements that are known to be effective, such as vitamins and minerals, similar to the idea of taking a skin whitening pill.

However, in my investigation of various skin whitening pills on the market, I have found that most products seem to be making money from customers who aren't fully informed of the facts.

Some of these pills are based on sulfur, which is what is found in the supplement MSM. You can buy MSM at your local drugstore or search for a deal online. For $15-$20 you will get yourself a several month supply. MSM is all natural and safe. Because of its sulfur it's been found to be effective in reducing and fading pigmentation. Obviously, you don't need to buy an expensive bottle of sulfur pills through an online distributor for $60 to get this effect. Simply do it yourself, and add MSM to your daily routine. You can start with 1-2 grams a day, and as you adjust to it, you can increase your dose to as much as 8 grams a day. These pills will fight and help to reduce your hyperpigmentation and even out your skin tone, they will make your skin healthy, soft and renewed, but they won't whiten your overall complexion.

Some expensive and exclusive skin whitening pill formulations simply contain antioxidants, vitamins, and some of the natural lightening ingredients you should already be using in your skin whitening cream. Generally these herbs will attack areas of hyperpigmentation, but they won't whiten the overall complexion. Instead of taking pills like this, I'd recommend making sure you have good vitamin supplements that you take separately, and keeping the bleaching herbs topical by using them in your natural whitening cream instead of taking them internally. It's simpler, cheaper, safer, and it's all that's needed to do the trick. There's no need to overload your bloodstream and tax your liver with all of these whitening herbs by taking them orally as well.

Other skin whitening pills are based on L-glutathione. The premise is that the side effect of massive doses of L-glutathione is overall skin lightening. It is recommended to take it with high doses of alpha-lipoic acid and Vitamin C. Results vary, and in the process of finding out if this will work for you by taking mega-doses of these supplements, not only will your wallet be lightened, you may become tired, lethargic, and possibly even anemic.

There is no proof that taking this combination truly lightens your skin, and it may be risky to try. Some users have found there to be no visible results, and have simply wasted a lot of time and money to find this out. If you're searching for a skin whitening pill, don't be taken in by the hype and possibly pseudo-scientific claims on the product website. Most of what works, you can do yourself, some of what is recommended in skin whitening pills may be risky and harmful to your health, and some just may not work at all.

source:www.goarticles.com

By: Brian Fong

Age spots are mainly caused by long-term sun exposure. Although sun is the number one reason for developing age spots, smoking, a poor diet, poor liver function, and a diet rich in oxidized oils are also contributing factors.

These age spots are a result of the overproduction of lipofuscin, a dark substance produced by our cells. Age spots usually begin appearing when we are in our 30’s and, besides being unsightly, increase our risk of skin cancer. As is the case with most skin conditions, age spots are easier to prevent than to treat. Eating a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, carrots, yams, and other foods that are high in carotene will help reduce your chances of getting age spots in the first place. If you are already are suffering from age spots, don‘t loose hope. There are options available to you to reduce the appearance of age spots, as well as improve the overall health of your skin.

There are several products on the market today that will help in diminishing the look of age spots. Fade creams are a popular choice among consumers. These over-the-counter creams contain moisturizers with a two percent hydroquinone content which is a bleaching agent that will aid in the fading process. Best results are obtained with the cream is used in conjunction with glycolic acid moisturizer. Prescription creams that contain vitamin A, such as Retin-A or Retinova, work more effectively than the over-the-counter fade creams.

There are more invasive options available to you for those suffering from a more serious case of age spots. Chemical peels are one of these options. Using 30%-70% glycolic acid, the fading factor is much more pronounced than in either of the creams mentioned above. The treatment is simple and can be done in a short session, even on your lunch break if need be. You will need more than one treatment to reach the full effects of the procedure.

Laser resurfacing is another option similar to the chemical peel. In this procedure, the age spots are literally burned off the skin’s surface with a laser and can be accomplished in one treatment. It does, however, have a recovery time of about one week and can be quite expensive.

For a more natural and cost-effective way to help prevent age spots simply limit your exposure to the sun and, when you are in the sun, wear sunscreen. Limit your alcohol intake and eat a well balance diet.

Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com