Uneven Skin pigmentation

[Carolina]

Due to using hair removal cream - I think - I' developed a slightly darker (but noticible) skin tone on my upper lip. Is there anything that can lighten it again? A friend suggested this procedure called 'peeling' that uses acid to peel the first layer of skin which sounds a bit drastic. I was hoping there was some kind cosmetic that may help.

[sft42]

Don't know about anything with permanent effects but Dermablend produce great ranges of foundations specially designed to cover up uneven skin pigmentation so this might help in the mean time.

[brawburd]

that seems a strange effect of hair removal cream. I would be tempted to see GP, and maybe request dermatology referral, before considering anything esle (other than sft42's kind of cosmetic advice).

[ipek]

There used to be several skin bleaching creams on the market for lightening of 'age' and other dark spots, which might help improve the appearance of the skin. Try Boots or similar.

Not that I have any formal medical qualifications, but as a (lateral) thought - do you think you could have a hormone imbalance? I ask because firstly the need to remove facial hair would indicate that the hair growth is thicker than normal - and secondly this can cause skin pigmentation problems (as noticed by many women on the contraceptive pill).

Either way, it does makes sense to speak to your GP about possible causes, rather than just dealing with the symptoms........

[FTVS]

I always get this in summer or when on holiday - luckily I don't really get the hair bit, just a few and I pluck them out. I use a darker powder on the rest of my face and pretty soon the tan does even out. I'd also be really interested on speculations as why this does appear. i had always thought it was something to do with different rates of tanning, maybe due to prominence (like I always seem to get a browner nose, upper lip and forehead) but now I think about it that seems totally silly!

[treaclefight]

ftvs, the areas you're talking about on your face is your 't zone' and the skin is different to the rest of your face, potentially very different and so can tan differently. hormone changes (pregnancy, going onto or coming off of a contraceptive pill) will also cause patches of dark skin on the face and chest (also a dark line extending down from your navel). personal experience tells me to take you to the clarins counter at a local boots or department store for good cosmetics, gentle treatments and advice on the one hand and normalising skin products to prevent it reoccuring on the other, clinique is supposed to be good for misbehaving skin too, but i swear by clarins (i've only known two people have an acid peel and it was gruesome both times). :-)

[FTVS]

Thanks Treacle fight - I am dumbsruck re comments about line extending down from navel - i always thought is was a weird "come and go" birth mark!

[Carolina]

Thanks for all your answers guys. I'm not sure if it is something as radical as a hormone imbalance because the hairs weren't even really there to begin with, it was more of a case of me being a paranoid teenager. Maybe if there had been a considerable amount of hair to be removed in the first place it wouldn't have stained my skin as much as I feel it has! I went to Boots the other day and they suggested this cream called Fade Out and I've read a few good reviews about it. I've only been using it for the past week and it says it takes 10 to 12 weeks to start making a difference, so time will tell...! I'm seeing my GP @ some point this week about something else, but I might just take the cream along with me to see what he says. If anyone else has a similar problem and wants me to keep you posted on what happens let me know! :-)

[Katherine S]

To Carolina You've probably long gone by now but I have been suffering from exactly the same problem as you for the past 2 years. It is now getting pretty bad and very noticeable especially in the summer months. I have an olive complexion anyway and tan really easily. However the upper lip tans like mad and I've tried factor 60 sunscreen on it to little effect. I now avoid the sun as much as possible which saddens me as I love the great outdoors and being active. I'm not keen on the idea of wearing make up on my whole face so I use a blemish concealer on the offending area which helps a little but am very conscious that I look like I have a 'tache'. I try not to let it ruin my life but it does make me paranoid and it is always in my thoughts and I find I avoid people scrutinising my face for too long. I'm too embarassed to discuss it with anyone - not even hubby, and I know he's noticed it. Like you I blame it on years of bleaching initially insignificant amounts of facial hair on the upper lip. Wish I'd left well alone now. I've asked beauticians and doctors but it seems there is not much to be done that might not make matters worse. I now use wax to remove the upper lip hair rather than bleaching as I was told this might not make the situation worse. Have you or anyone else out there had any luck with solving this problem.

[Carolina]

Hi Katherine I've also started to use wax, it doesn't make it worse but it doesn't make it any better either. It seems to be a bit of a dead end subject since no-one can come up with an effective suggestion that doesn't invlove lasers and a lot of money! I tried the Fade Out cream, but I don't think that made much difference, maybe a little bit while I was using it, but that might well have been more psycological than anything else. I have spoken to a couple of friends about it and I'm now trying to take their advice and trying to believe it's actually a lot more noticeable to me than anybody else. Don't get paranoid about people scrutinising your face, because what we tend to forget (I'm very guilty of that) is that each person focuses on their own insecurities so while you're thinking they're staring at what you deem to be your imperfections they are probably worrying about the same. I can't really afford laser treatment and don't think I'd go to those lenghts anyway so I'm trying to do the best I can to be positive about my image and worry a bit less. I did find talking to a friend helped, someone I knew would be confortable enough to give an honest opinion, not just say what they thought I'd want to hear. Her actual advice was 'use more eye make up! Make your eyes (or hair) look really pretty so people will look at that instead!' I thought it was good advice! Hope that helps you. xxx

[Katherine S]

Thanks Carolina for your reply. I know I should talk to someone. I do have one friend who I think has a similar problem (although hers is still much less noticeable than mine) - we both seemed to glance at each other's upper lips the last time we met up but not enough wine was consumed for me to brave the discussion. I'm not usually backwards in coming forwards!! I've been doing a fair bit of browsing on the net today and one suggestion was cocoa butter for evening out skin tone. Like you I'm not prepared to go down the laser route - expensive without guarantees. Don't like the sound of that cream that is banned in many countries as am afraid to make it worse. I guess like you I'll just have to live with it. I have bouts of trying to do something about it. Then winter comes and it mellows a little and I don't feel so bad. Perhaps we need to start a support group!

[Katherine S]

Hi Carolina me again. Have you visited vanessa Wild's website. She's written a book about melasma, which is what I think we've got. She seems to have cured herself with a sulphur supplement pill called MSM. I've browsed her website pretty thoroughly and it/she seems genuine. I've emailed her personally so will wait to see if I get a response. May explore this avenue further as it offers a totally different approach which seems to make sense - curing oneself from the inside rather than applying dodgy skin bleaching creams. It seems a fairly common complaint especially for people with olive skin which I always considered a bonus until now! In which case why aren't there thousands of 'moustachioed' women wandering about? I'm not convinced it's hormonal as 2 possible causes are pregnancy and the pill but I came off the pill 8 years ago and had this condition for 1 1/2 years before falling pregnant. Cheers for now Katherine

[sukiyoyo]

Hello Caroline, im only 17 and have the exact same problem, the skin above my upper lip has become a lot darker than the rest of my face i feel so embarrassed, and i think it was due to an allergic reaction to some hair bleaching cream i used which made my upper lip vrey sore and red. Ever since, i have had this prominent dark patch. It has made me have very low self esteem and i cant even look at people in the eye when having a conversation because i know that they are looking at my upper lip. i really dont know what to do, does the fade away work? where did you get it from and how much does it cost? Thank you

[angelaherita]

Hi I'm 45 and have had the same problem for the last 5 years or so. I bought the book and have tried msm but although it helps a bit and i felt my skin was evening out, this last weekend i was out in the sun(not sunbathing) with factor 60 liberally applied to my face the patches still reappeared. If anything they are spreading to most of my face with just a patch of lighter skin each side of my nose. If i could work out what had caused it i would gladly make the rest dark too. Its the unevenness that makes it look so bad. I do wonder whether it was caused by a reaction to hair bleaching products and have tried doing my whole face instead of just the upper lip. Will let you know if it works or makes it worse. Fingers crossed. Also has anyone tried a fake tan that evens it, the ones i've tried just make it worse.

[BourneR]

If you are on the combined contraceptive pill, it could explain the dark pigmentation on your upper lip. I've been told that it is due to high levels of oestrogen. That's why women usually get dark pigmentation during pregnancy, due to changes in hormone levels. It is very unlikely that it is down to hair bleaching cream, you have probably just noticed it because you are paying more attention to this area when bleaching anyway. I wouldn't worry about it too much, you'd be surprised to learn at how many people don't even notice!

[sweetheart]

Hi, I have tried fade out from boots. It didn't work on my upper lip either (I have had the same problem since my early teenage years) but I don't know what triggered it off. However, I recently came across 'fair and lovely' a bleach free, fairness cream produced for Asian skin. I have noticed an effect and i'm over the moon. It cost only �2 for the tube, which lasted a month. I think the effect is amazing especially as I have had a very dark upper lip for more than 10 years now, and tried every lightening cream on the market. It's not completly disappeared, but I have noticed a definate change. Any other success stories??

[brenna]

I am relieved to hear that there are other people with the same problem. I developed a dark area above my lip around a year and a half ago and really don't know the reason why. I do wax my lip but wouldn't think that would cause it. I have talked to my doctor and haven't really came to a conclusion. I am going to go to a dermatologist in the near future and I hope for an answer. I can relate with this causing my self-esteem to drop. Good to hear from others. Thanks

[sweetheart]

Don't worry, Brenna, there's loads of us!! On a serious note, I know it really affects your confidence and self esteem. But the more you look at the area, the more you actually feel it's really bad. It could be that it's not even noticeable! It's true to say that the person involved will exxagerate the problem. Abit like me, I still find it hard to think that anyone else has this problem! I went to my local laser clinic to ask the nurse if she thinks laser treatment could clear it. Because my upper lip hairs are very fine, she thought not. Waxing is meant to be a good technique for hair removal because it pulls all the hair out, without creating more melanin, the dark stuff. The nurse recomemded a cream, which is meant to be approved by top docs aswell. NeoStrata skin lightening gel is meant to be the only think to work (you can search it on google). I didn't buy it, i'm saving up! Will buy it next time I go to the clinic. Will let you know what happens guys. It's �30. Anyone else with success stories? Please let me know how you get on with the dermotologist Brenna.

[jeena]

I have used a fairness cream call LIGHT OF DAY, it's fantastic. It's not a bleach (which can damage your skin by the way!!!) within two weeks the area has lightened. Here's the website you have to put into the toolbar as it won't find it via aol etc. It's www.asianhealthandbeauty.com the telephone no: 0870 241 7535. I've recommended it to my friends and they are really, really pleased. Good luck all. Jeena x

[sweetheart]

is it better than fair and lovely jeena?