No real changes in my skin. I've kinda stopped doing the ginger since the hypopigmentation wasn't getting any better at all. I've been told by a dermatologist that even if my melanocytes did start repigmenting, there's a lot of scar tissue in my white patches and so maybe the skin wouldn't change color anyway. Bummer. I am thinking about trying to get Excimer laser done for the hypopigmentation. In the meantime, when I have ginger root in the fridge, I'll try to use it.
As far as the hyperpigmentation, I think the kojic acid stuff has been working somewhat, but it's also killer on my skin -- really irritating. I start peeling like I have a bad sunburn, and I get reddish and irritated. So I stop for a few days and start up again. I'm keeping up with it because I do think that when I stop the kojic acid for awhile and the irritation subsides, I see that my skin is generally more pale, especially where I had the hyperpigmentation on my forehead. I think this stuff works -- or will work, if I can ever get my skin used to it. I also notice that if I do go out in the sun, I get brown again though. I'm trying hard to stay out of the sun but since I do triathlons, it's been hard.
I was also told that I may have melasma from taking birth control pills (Yaz) and this might be the cause of the hyperpigmentation rather than IPL damage. I've stopped taking the Yaz and hopefully that will help.
You are not alone. I have the same horrible patches after ipl and I have very fair skin as well. Mine i think is worse than yours... I look like a leopard if im not wearing heavy foundation. I'm just starting glycolic peels... Has anything worked for you yet?
ReplyDeleteI also suffer the same thing from lasers. Would like to know about your progress.
ReplyDeleteHey guys. To be honest I haven't really kept up with anything except the kojic acid/glycolic acid. I also use Tazarotene (a Retin-A cousin) for acne, and that has also helped even out skin tone in general. So yeah, I've seen improvement, but only minor improvement, and that's mostly in the hyperpigmentation. I think the Neostrata kojic/glycolic acid really got the brown-ness under control, so I bet your glycolic peels will help. I also quit Yaz and I think that helped. As far as the hypopigmentation goes, it's still there, but just less noticeable because I've really made an effort to stay out of the sun, and my whole face is more pale. (I don't like being a ghost in the middle of summer, but it really does make the hypopigmentation less noticeable.) I think being in the sun made MORE white spots come out, to be honest. I know there's conflicting advice about staying out of the sun or giving your hypopigmented spots some sun exposure, but my advice is NO SUN. I am going to start skin needling on the hypopigmentation soon -- I have heard there is a 70% chance that could work to bring back pigment. Also, I visited a couple of dermatologists but they were useless and had a really snotty attitude, like, "You can hardly see those white spots." Really were jerks about it, like I was making a big deal out of nothing. (I ended up leaving one doctor's office in tears!) Anyway, the Excimer/Xtrac laser is not available in Australia, and the next-best one to use on hypopigmentation is Fraxel, but I am scared to use any lasers given that IPL is what caused this in the first place. Apparently skin needling does the same thing as lasers, but at a much slower pace and without the pigmentation risks.
ReplyDeleteI am a 22 years old man. I have dark ugly large patches on both of my cheeks. It is really ugly. Some 3-4 weeks ago, I did not have these patches on my face. I used to wash my face with dettol soap daily. I experienced some tingling(minor burning sensation) while using the soap. I never cared. Then appeared these patches, because of which I had to go to the derm. The latter told me that I had dry skin and that these patches were the result of prolonged exposure to sunlight. Thus I did not tell him about the dettol stuff. He prescribed stieva-A and eldopaque cream. I used these creams for 1.5 weeks. But to may dismay, the patches have grown much larger and are much more sensitive. Touching my cheeks with my finger tips hurt like hell(just to tell you how sensitive it has become), I can't even use the towel to properly dry my face. I think that the derm has been wrong in his diagnosis or that I have an allergic reaction to the creams. My derm is on vacation and I don't know what to do. I am just trying to find help on the internet. Will these patches ever leave my face? I am really depressed. I just don't want to get out to interact with people.
ReplyDeleteOh boy, rolled across this article and see so many things I would consider "reg flags". I am an Aesthetician and Licensed Laser Tech, 10 years and counting. First off if you had redness to your skin as you stated was the original issue, I would never recommend IPL (intense pulse light not laser). Redness indicates broken capillaries (blood) probably from years of trauma to the epidermis in the form of picking, mashing and popping infected blemishes. This is simple to remove by treating just the broken capillaries with laser and collapsing the vein. The blood is then dried and reabsorbed by the body leaving the area free from red marks. I have treated redness in many forms/causes on the face and body it is very effective and easy. There are so many other things that caused your current condition but I do not have time to go into it at this time. I will say though, food for thought, Hypopigmentation is also a form of sun damage (not just hyper) so your amount of sun exposure is not helping the problem. Also, after any treatment, the use of any acids, or any form of exfoliation you should NOT be in any direct sunlight for at least a week! With or without sunscreen...
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