Ultraviolet rays are "on"! Try your best to whiten your skin but still can't? Learn about the ABC rules →

When summer comes, people will pay more and more attention to their skin color. How to maintain a fair skin tone in the summer with strong ultraviolet rays is a topic of concern to many friends.

After all, the skin is exposed to the sun, and "showing a short-sleeved shirt" will inevitably affect the appearance. Dermatologists deeply understand this desire for whitening. Whitening is not only for the pursuit of bright skin, but also for maintaining the health and vitality of the skin.

Today, let’s talk about how to whiten your skin.

Whitening, what is beauty?

If we break down the word "whitening", we can probably understand its meaning - "beauty" here refers to the health and appearance of the skin, while "white" refers to the brightness and evenness of the skin color. Skin whitening is actually skin color.

There are 2 knowledge points here.

1. Everyone has a relatively fixed skin color, which is related to genetics and race. For example, we Chinese are mainly yellow people, and our skin color is between white and black. When it comes to individuals, some have whiter skin and some have darker skin, but the objective difference is not particularly large.

2. In addition to skin color determined by genetics and race, there are many other factors that can affect skin color. This influence is not fixed and variable, such as long-term sun exposure and long-term smoking.

So, to go further, whitening is about changing skin color, not about turning yellow people into white people. The latter requirement is a bit excessive and not very realistic (unless you use makeup).

How to whiten your skin? Of course, you can make your skin whiter and smoother through various methods. But there are some misunderstandings here. You may mistakenly think that whitening requires medical beauty treatments, high-end treatments, or that it is something only rich people can consider. In fact, there is a very effective and cheap way - sun protection.

Whitening in summer, you must use sunscreen

Sun protection is not only the first step to whitening in summer, but also in spring, autumn and winter. The reason for this is that the main reason for most people's skin to darken is the ultraviolet rays in the sun after sun exposure, which is what is medically called "tanning". Here I want to reveal that sun exposure actually has a double "darkening" effect.

One is that more melanin will be redistributed after sun exposure. The function of melanin is to protect the skin from damage by ultraviolet rays. From this perspective, they are good for health and can reduce our risk of sunburn. The other is that ultraviolet rays can promote the melanocytes on the surface of the skin to increase their production capacity and produce more melanin. Therefore, the skin will become darker a few days after sun exposure.

Anyone who is slightly observant can notice that after a few days of sun exposure, there are clear black and white boundaries on the arms, or after wearing sandals for two days, black and white shadows can be seen on the back of the feet. This is the embodiment of tanning.

Sun protection tips - ABC rule

So, what is the best way to protect yourself from the sun? It's very simple, that's the ABC rule. Here's a brief introduction:

A is the abbreviation of avoid , which means to avoid unnecessary sun exposure as much as possible. Don't do any of the mysterious sayings about sunbathing your back for health. Just stay out of the sun.

B stands for physical block , which means that when you are outdoors, you should do your best to protect yourself from the sun, such as wearing long sleeves and long pants, sun-protective clothing, hats and masks. Just do it according to your preferences and actual conditions.

C is the acronym for applying sunscreen (cream), which means applying sunscreen to parts that are not physically covered. The common parts are the face and arms, but don't miss special parts, such as the ears, back of the neck, back of the hands, etc.

Doing a good job of sun protection has also completed a large part of the whitening work. In fact, as long as the skin color is more even, many people have achieved their goal. However, talking about this, some people may not only expect sun protection, but also want to be whiter.

If you want good whitening effect, you can also do medical beauty

Although whitening can be free, if you want a whiter skin, you may have to spend some money, such as through medical beauty treatments.

Medical beauty projects are numerous and complicated. Which projects are safe to avoid pitfalls?

Here we focus on two of them - intense pulsed light and chemical peel. Among them, intense pulsed light is commonly known as photorejuvenation, and chemical peel is commonly known as acid peeling.

The reason why IPL can whiten your skin is that you can choose a filter that targets pigments, and the device can emit IPL of the corresponding wavelength, which can act on the abnormally increased pigments in a targeted manner. Specifically, IPL can remove spots, brighten the skin, and lighten the skin color. Generally, you can see obvious results after doing it three or four times in a row.

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As for chemical peels, you can choose different types of acids, the most common ones are salicylic acid and fruit acid, which include glycolic acid, citric acid, mandelic acid, etc. After correct acid peeling, it can accelerate the metabolism of the epidermis and promote the fading of melanin, so it has multiple effects of brightening the skin tone, improving pigmentation and lightening spots.

If you have such needs, you can consult a professional for standardized and reasonable treatment. If your budget is limited and you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on medical beauty, is there any other way?

Functional skin care products also have the potential to whiten your skin

I believe many people are familiar with whitening skin care products. After all, previous data showed that the scale of the whitening market in 2021 increased by more than 42% compared with 2015. In addition, Jinggu Agricultural Think Tank predicts that the scale of my country's whitening market will reach 674 billion yuan in 2026, which is an astronomical figure.

There are many types of these functional whitening products. Just looking at the product types, there are essences, lotions, creams, masks and even care sets.

But the type is secondary. We emphasize that the ingredients should be reliable. The more classic topical whitening ingredients include vitamin C and its derivatives, niacinamide, fruit acid, arbutin, etc. The actual ingredients of whitening products are much more than these, so I will not go into details one by one.

In addition, it should be emphasized that when using whitening products, you need to pay attention to the following matters:

The effects of topical products are generally not very good, and there are individual differences, so you should adjust your expectations before use;

Before using the product, it is best to first clarify your skin problem, such as whether it is ordinary tanning, sun spots, chloasma or other problems. The treatment methods for different situations will actually be different. If you are not sure, you should seek evaluation from a doctor;

· Every product may have side effects. When using it, pay attention to the product instructions and actual experience. If side effects occur, stop using it in time and seek medical treatment online or offline;

· Choose reliable brands for products, preferably those produced by well-known manufacturers;

· You need to use it consistently to judge the efficacy. It is not okay to use it halfway.

You don’t need to use too many whitening products, and don’t mix them together, because different brands and series of whitening products have different ingredients, and mixing them together may result in poor results or damage the skin.

These methods do not whiten your skin!

1

Oral vitamin C cannot whiten your skin

Although vitamin C has a certain antioxidant effect on the skin, topical vitamin C is widely used and effective, but oral vitamin C cannot directly whiten the skin. Whether it is oral vitamin C tablets or effervescent tablets, or eating a lot of vegetables and fruits to supplement vitamin C, it cannot have a whitening effect. In addition, excessive intake of vitamin C may also cause additional burden on the body.

2

Oral glutathione cannot whiten your skin

Glutathione is another popular whitening ingredient, which is added to many functional skin care products. Theoretically, it can achieve whitening effect by inhibiting melanin production, but the whitening effect of oral glutathione is not certain.

The reason for saying this is not groundless, but is supported by medical big data - a medical review in 2022 mentioned that there is relatively little clinical experimental evidence for oral glutathione for whitening, and there is a lack of sufficient follow-up data.

3

Other methods that cannot whiten

There are many so-called "quick whitening" products or methods on the market, such as using bleach, scrubs, and oral health products. You can find a lot of them by searching on the Internet. These often have limited effects and may even bring side effects. Don't try them lightly.

In short, summer skin whitening is a systematic project. The most basic thing is sun protection . Secondly, you can consider choosing suitable skin care products or even medical beauty treatments . The most important thing is to choose the right method according to your skin condition, individual preferences, budget and other dimensions, and it is best to do it under professional guidance .

You have to believe that whitening is not a one-time process. It requires long-term adherence to the correct care path, and it is more like a practice for the skin.

References

[1] Sun tanning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_tanning

[2] Sun protection ABC principles. https://www.uvabsorbers.com/info/sun-protection-abc-principles-59225506.html

[3] White Paper on Chinese Facial Whitening Consumption Trends in 2023. https://www.sohu.com/a/693942454_121101099

[4] Kamakshi R. Fairness via formulations: a review of cosmetic skin-lightening ingredients. J Cosmet Sci. 2012; 63(1): 43-54.

[5] Zainab N. Abdul- Nabi, Noor K. Mohammed-Jawad. The role of glutathione as a bleaching agent in whitening skin: A review. Iraqi Natl J Med [Internet]. 2022; 4(1): 138-146.

Planning and production

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, MD, attending physician of dermatology

Review | Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin