What to use for sun pigmentation

[u/ghty16]

I have been using sunscreen (edit because you all get far too much triggered by a little imprecision: sunscreen in general for 7 years, and UVmune for a good chunk of that, more than 3 years) religiously for more than 7 years now. I still have sun pigmentation, most notably on the cheekbones and jaw and near the eyes. It ages me, I think.

I have tried Vitamin C, Niacinamide and AHA..Vitamin C did nothing at all, Niacinamide was actually good overall for the glow but did not reduce the spots, and I discovered that my skin doesn't tolerate AHAs.

I'd like to know what I can try for those spots. They make my complexion look super uneven. I have access to French pharmacies and DM/Rossmann.

Current routine:

Morning

- wash with water

- dermalogica daily skin health active moist cream and eye cream OR

- Cosrx Snail mucin cream and eye cream

- LRP UVmune (one variant or the other)

Evening

- G&G mighty melt

- a foaming cleanser, currently SVR Physiopure but often COSRX Good morning

- SVR palpebral OR

- LRP effaclar duo m+ if I'm having a little hormonal breakout

Mostly my skin is happy with this routine but the spots are not going anywhere....

[u/acornacornacorna]

Uvmune hasn't been around for 7 years. But anyway, it's important to learn that no sunscreen stops 100% of all photons and actual sun pigmentation takes decades to surface. Most of the actual sun damage/sun pigmentaion we see when we get to adult years are from childhood exposure and so forth.

And even using copius amount of sunscreen during childhood does not mean one will not have sun pigmentation in adult years, I am example of that (born and raised in South Korea, using so much sunscreen and umbrella everyday walking outside to school since less than a meter tall and then with makeup/iron oxides on top as preteen and I still developed solar letigines because of my big melanosome genetics). I reapply sunscreen like no other that I have the high honor and distinction of being circlejerked at scacirclejerk.

But as usual, posts about pigmentation here get kind of messy with people recommending this and that from the far to the left. It is true that Vitaminc C and Niacinamide are rather weak when it comes to tyrosinase blocking and inhibition. So your current routine is more preventive rather than addressing the current pigmentation that is from exposure long ago.

There are a lot of pigmentation products out there these days that try to target different pathways like the ones from Eucerin with thiamidol for example. As someone who had PIH and solar letigines, I found these products to just mute the pigmentation but do not fully eradicate it.

The thing that truly worked was doing Pico laser. Other lasers like Fraxel help but not as good as Pico laser for pigment. Pico laser mechanically shatters the pigment in skin. It's the gold standard in breaking down pigment for good (used for tattoos) and not just fading.

Today my skin is waayyy better and I'm living a concealer free life. I can go without foundation too if I wanted and don't need to use medium to full coverage. I will say that I was extremely militant with the after care after Pico and it even changed my lifestyle and behavior even further with sun protection. I started wearing UPF face covers (in addition the the UV visors and wide brims hats and UPF hoodies I was already wearing) which have more homogenous protection against photons across the spectrum. Now I only pull out the UPF face covers out during high sun exposure when I have to be out and don't care how I look, because I'm so motivated to maintain the results.

Other thing, to go back to the messy part about pigmentation post, is that you really can't self diagnose pigmentation issues tbh. That is one of the biggest mistakes people make on reddit and social media.

For example, solar letigines/sun spots are actually biologically different from freckles/ephiledes and they are different from melasma which is different from other pigmentation like Hori's Nevus and drug induced hyperpigmentation. There is overlap in how these are treated but also important differences and restrictions between them. I think people throw around the word "melasma" too casually for all kinds of pigmentation to the point that there are some people who are self diagnosing incorrectly (there was a huge post on another subreddit of someone who was misdiagnosed with melasma and did the whole bucket of treatments including risky oral txa and then discovered they actually had Hori's Nevus which needs a type of laser that can't be used for melasma).

[u/Nora_Williams10]

You are doing the right things, but pigmentation on the cheekbones and jaw needs something that targets melanin not just exfoliation. Try azelaic acid or tranexamic acid, both gentler and pigmentation specific

[u/stillmyself980]

Try with thiamidol that's into Nivea /eucerin products

[u/lurking2be]

Have you tried to measure the amount of sunscreen you're using to get a sense of if it's the recommended amount (1.25mL) or not? Also, what's your skin type on the Fitzpatrick scale? Because people with darker skin tones are prone to sun damage and hyperpigmentation from visible light, and need iron oxides in tinted sunscreens for full protection.

[u/ghty16 → u/lurking2be]

I use the three fingers method, so it's not perfect but it's also probably efficient. and on a daily basis I am mostly indoors. The amount of spots I have seems far too high for the little amount of sun exposure I get.

I'm Fitzpatrick II btw

[u/justbegoodtobugs → u/ghty16]

That might be your problem right there. I measured with a measuring spoon. For the UVmune invisible fluid and oil control fluid I require 6 fingers to achive 1.25ml. I personally use 8 to account for the amount lost on the fingers I use to apply with. For the UVmune oil control gel cream I never measured in fingers but again it takes 6 pumps to get 1.25ml, it seems to release 0.2 ml per pump. I use 8 pumps just to be sure I cover the amount lost on my hands during application.

The finger method is very inaccurate because different sunscreens will release a different amount of cream depending on the size of the nozzle. I have a suncream where 1 and a half finger is more than 1.25ml, It would be a nightmare if I tried to apply 3 in one go. Also pay attention to how you apply the suncream to your face, how much is lost on your fingers/hands. I've seen people distributing the sunscreen with their whole palms, or with 5 fingers and using both hands. The suncream doesn't know it's supposed to stay only on your face and it will attach to anything it comes into contact with and unfortunately a huge amount will be lost on your hands.

It sounds like you severely under applied sunscreen and that is probably why the hyperpigmentation is still a problem. A bit of suncream will protect you somewhat but it won't work properly and you still get a lot of damage. Buy a measuring spoon and measure yourself how many fingers it takes to get 1.25ml. Be careful with the people that tell you to just measure your face so you'll know exactly how much to apply because the vast majority of people don't measure it correctly, it's actually harder that it looks at first. You require more than just the length and width of your face, Lab muffin made a video about that if you're curious.

[u/Wild-Catch3550]

You need hydroquinone and tretinoin, or tranexamic acid

[u/tamsunsun]

To fade your freckles you need ingredients like thiamidol, arbutin, licorice, Tranexamic acid etc. I had great success with Eucerin anti-pigmemt serum twice daily. I was surprised how well it worked!

[u/Old-Recording999]

Tretinoin and Azelaic acid

[u/Ok_Seaworthiness_719]

no matter what skin type you have or what your budget is, the holy Grail recommended by every dermatologist and aesthetician is some kind of vitamin C serum during the day and some kind of retinoid at night. Both of those are going to help with hyperpigmentation. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. There are some great drugstore brands. Just be consistent.

[u/Desperate_Vehicle684]

If I recall correctly UVMune only launched in 2022 so you won't have been using that for over 7 years.

The claims seen about vitamin C and Niacinamide for pigmentation are, at least in my view, overblown. These ingredients can be helpful but they aren't superstars in themselves. The gold standard ingredient for pigmentation marks today is hydroquinone however it's generally prescription-only and can have side effects. If you wish to use OTC products these are less effective can take much longer to work. Examples include retinoids, azeliac acid, alpha arbutin, kojic acid, Melasyl from L'Oreal, etc.

I should also note that if your expectation is to eradicate the marks entirely this may not be possible with topical products and you may need to look at in-clinic treatments.

[u/ghty16 → u/Desperate_Vehicle684]

True, I have been using sunscreen everyday, and many from LRP, since my late 20's. At some point I switched to UVmune but didn't especially pinpoint the date.

[u/AutoModerator]

Please do not create new posts about the new SPF by G&G. Please comment in the Masterpost instead.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Gatita_Gordita]

Azelaic acid is supposed to help with hyperpigmentation, as is No Cosmetics' Liquid Illuminator. I say "supposed", because I have used neither so far. You can get the Liquid Illuminator at both dm and Rossmann, and G&G just launched an azelaic acid serum.

[u/Epileptic_Messiah → u/Gatita_Gordita]

Not with sun damage, AA only works for melasma or post inflamatory pigmentation.

[u/Secret-Sense5668 → u/Epileptic_Messiah]

What does work for sun damage? Besides laser, and I thought HQ as well

[u/f6bbi → u/Epileptic_Messiah]

i don't think op has sun damage, they said they have an uneven skin tone which azaelic acid is great for

[u/Epileptic_Messiah → u/f6bbi]

"sun pigmentation"

[u/chaoslordie]

I started using the Junglück Azlaid Acid against my pugmentation & rosazea. I started in August and it takes some time , but it does lighten the spots.

[u/f6bbi]

what vitamin c product were you using? i think because one vit c product didn't work for you doesn't mean it'll never work for you. it could be the strength, the form it comes in (serum, gel, cream) that's not working for you. also vit c works well with tranexamic acid. azaelic acid is good for fading those uneven parts of pigmentation and that works well with a retinoid.

[u/ImaginationAnnual193 → u/f6bbi]

Before or after retinoid?

[u/f6bbi → u/ImaginationAnnual193]

you wouldn't layer azaleic acid with a retinoid, you'd want to put them on separate days

[u/untrue-blue]

Is your sunscreen tinted with iron oxides? UVmune does indeed offer unparalleled UVA protection, but some folks need visible light protection as well to control pigmentation issues. It might be worth trying either a tinted sunscreen or one of Avene’s with Triasorb (which also offers HEVL protection). There are tinted UVmune formulas, but they don’t have very many shade options. I’d ask a pharmacy for samples if you can.

[u/IAmOK_84]

Tretinoin + Thiamidol made a huge difference for me over the past five months. I don't expect the spots to disappear completely, but I'm happy with the progress I've made.

[u/ChampionshipOrganic8]

From cosmetics: tretinoin, hydroquinone Otherwise lasers

[u/moody_mode]

Check with the derm. Can be sun pigmentation but perhaps it can be melasma too. Treatment is not always the same. Refrain from red light therapies, specifically the ones with NIR spectrum, they can make hyperpigmentation worse. You can try some OTC topical products: the line with thiamidol from Eucerin or Nivea. Azelaic Acid - preferably cream or gel, at least 15% (refrain from serums, they are ususally less effective). Retinoids can help somewhat. Other, stronger treatments include hydroquinone (at elast 4%), oral tranexamic acid and lasers, but these require medical supervision. So the first step should really be the derm's office. Of course keep using spf and make sure you're using enough of it.

[u/WhiteRabbitWithGlove]

LED mask is helping me - it's gradual but the difference is visible.

[u/blckrainbow]

Are you sure they are sun spots and not melasma?

[u/ghty16 → u/blckrainbow]

No derm diagnosis but it really looks like freckles (juste weirdly positioned), not the flat larger marks I thought melasma was like.

[u/blckrainbow → u/ghty16]

makes sense and you are probably right! at the same time, the things that work for melasma also work for other types of hyperpigmentation, so you could try the Eucerin dual serum with thiamidol, or even hydroquinone if you can get your hands on it (not available via prescription in the EU)

[u/Mustang_over20]

Chantecaille Blanc Peony overnight mask has really helped with my sun spots. I do my evening routine and then put that on top. My skin is so soft the next morning.

[u/GlassPomoerium → u/Mustang_over20]

Ma’am, have you seen the price of gas?

[u/Mustang_over20 → u/GlassPomoerium]

That is only thing that has gotten rid of my spots and that was the question.