Hi,

The area around the sides of my mouth is noticeably darker than the rest of my skin.

It was always a bit darker, but no too much, and I think I made it a lot worse by overexerting with a microdebrasion cloth.

I've read around here and on similar forums, but remain a bit puzzled on how to proceed.

It's been like this since the start of December, and it hasn't gotten any better.

The area also seems a little dry sometmes, usually in the morning. I've used Bio-Oil which I already had but there's no change.

Should I used skin lightening cream, or a peel? And if so which one?

The photo shows the areas affected (modelled in green).

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn132/doberman3193/X1.jpg

I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.
(I'm male, 18)

Please help!

OK well I need a little bit more info... do you have this darkening naturally or did it occur after you started lightening the skin... also when you say bio-oil, do you mean bio claire oil? I'm asking this because it happened to my sis (n me but with me not with bio claire oil) with bio claire oil, she did MAJOR research and went vegan (no meat, not animal derivatives aka milk, eggs, cheese etc) and took msm (high dosage) and grapeseed extract. Give the whole lightening a rest while you do this. She did this for like two weeks and it worked like a charm... as of me... im doing this now... sucks, but I got to do what I got to do! I caught it early and I didn't stop lightening (im stubburn)!
Hope I helped

I've never used lightening products.

The dark areas came to be after I was too exerting with a micro-debrasion cloth. The area was really dry and sore, with bit of a scab in once place immediately afterwards.

Now, these areas are darker - kind of like scarred areas.

That's why I tried Bio-Oil (not Bio Claire Oil), which is for scarring.


It didn't work and I'm not sure how to proceed - whether to lighten...

Guys bio oil is some brand we get in uk... and its in expensive and doenst work.. lol


Anyway... dude I don't think you really have a problem... you could correct this simple problem with regular bleaching.. take some jolene belach or use som peroxide... I'm sure you problem will be gone in a jiffy..

And if your skin looks like in that pic.. y our in gorgeous...

My skins somewhere close tothat colour.. not more than a shade lesser... but not as smooth as yours I guess...

I have to agree that bio oil is a very slow process in terms of fading scarring.

Remember that when we get discolouration after abrasion to the skin, it is the skin's way of protecting itself from further damaging by darkening. It may be just a question of a little more time to allow your skin to heal. Whatever you use, it should be very moisturising to help with the healing process, but I wouldn't put anything harsh on it, to stop further problems.

I have had this problem through and through over the years. A natural ingredient that helped me remove and peel the dark surrounding skin was Lemon juice, not the kind in the bottle, but the fresh squeezed kind you have to do yourself. You should peel in about 3 days. I did this inconjunction with an otc cream (Dr. Palmers) in about a week it was practically gone. Using lemon juice worked wonders, but it burned so bad.
It might burn but the results were astounding.

I have had this problem through and through over the years. A natural ingredient that helped me remove and peel the dark surrounding skin was Lemon juice, not the kind in the bottle, but the fresh squeezed kind you have to do yourself. You should peel in about 3 days. I did this inconjunction with an otc cream (Dr. Palmers) in about a week it was practically gone. Using lemon juice worked wonders, but it burned so bad.
It might burn but the results were astounding.

Should I use a new lemon every day - and apply only once per day?
Also, please could you tell me what type of cream you used.
(I know very little about cosmetics to be honest)

Thanks.

I would cut a slice of lemon everyday from the same lemon. The lemons I would use are large. I'd save the rest in the fridge for the next day. 1 lemon would last me about a week. There are several creams that I tested and tried. Dr. Palmers (okay), Ultra Glow (okay), but the best was Jiaoli.
I got it from here:
www.freewebs.com/jiaoli
There is a kit that contains a day and night cream for $35 (shipping included). It is a tad bit pricer than the other ones, but it works the fastest and it's the most effective.
When I got another dark spot and I didn't have any Jiaoli on hand, I would then use the Ultra Glow with it.

Thanks.
I'll buy Jiaoli in the next few days.

Should I apply the lemon juice at night, and then leave it, or apply the night cream after applying lemon juice. And would you recommend I applied lemon juice and the cream everyday or every other day?

Thanks again!

I mix them together at night so the skin will peel by morning. I apply it everyday and have no problems. It it gets too strong for you, I won't hurt to skip a day or two. With the jiaoli there is a day cream (that comes with the day/night set) that you can rub in before you leave in the morning, you don't need the lemon for that.
Please update me on your progress!

Adding:
Typically it takes a week for the jiaoli to arrive.

I researched abit on this jiaoli product and in some forum there is rumor that because it works so fast i.e one week,there could be either steroids or mercury in this product and I actually believe it because if a products gives results so fast it probably is suspicious.just my two cents but I may be wrong though

A few months ago I actually had it tested and there was 0 % mercury in the product. There was a ton of kojic acid in it though. I got the idea from the same forum. On another forum like that, we found that a lady whom was selling mono was posting under several names so that no one would purchase it.
With anything, there's a trial and error process. I'm a human guinea pig with sensitive skin and Jiaoli is one of the only things that has worked for me. Recommending a product can come back and bite you in the arse because someone will think you are a seller. That alone has kept me away from the forums (any). Another product that gave me results was Herbalinn- contrary to popular belief, is not a scam. But it did take me almost a month to receive it.

Adding:
Chinese/Japanese skin care products are simply the best. I wish my grandma (whom is Japanese) would have given me the idea earlier.

Also, I know many people whom have skin lightening regimens whom don't tell anyone what they use because of several reasons- some are greedy and want to keep all the good secrets to themselves, and others are afraid that people just won't belief them. I'll go out on a limb and actually fill people in on what works for me. (*I am in the process of creating a beauty blog*)
Like this $150 flat iron I purchased from the mall this weekend. It works on my hair like magic and my review would sound unbelieveable. They ARE products that do what they claim to do, you just have to search far and wide. I've seen thousands of dollars on products that disappointed me. I even purchased the Cosmelan set on eBay for $400, didn't even lighten me one bit.
The best exfoliator in the is plain old sugar and warm water which costs about $3.00 to make. The second best exfoliator is a Walgreens store brand Alpha Hydroxy Cream.
Anyway, I wish everyone the best of luck on their quest to beautiful skin.

*there

*spent

World*

Thanks luscious leo for all the time you took to clear things up.I think I'll give this cream a try also.I like my skin tone now but I wouldn't mind trying other things out there.hopefully it'll work for me too.thanks again for sharing all your beauty secrets with us.it's true that most people don't like sharing like that but I guess we're fortunate enough to have you on our forum.

You're welcome. Anytime.