There are different ways to lighten skin. Sometimes skin whitening is a must – especially for dark spots that might otherwise seem unsightly, such as dark underarms, elbows, inner thighs and other areas of the body.

There must be millions of skin whitening techniques out there, using either natural or synthetic products. If you are looking for reliable methods to acquire a fair as well as flawless skin, you’re not alone in the search.

Although skin whitening could be a difficult business, most people these days would prefer quick ways to resolve this problem. Although there are absolutely no instant solutions, there are a few ways to cut down the turnover process.

1. Hydration Is Important

People tend to take hydration for granted when in fact, this is one of the sure-fire and natural ways to make sure that your skin is clear and bright. Scientists say that drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day, helps your body push out unwanted toxins and urea, which can cause unwanted blemishes on your skin.

When your body lacks water, the blood gets thicker and the body naturally pulls water from the skin cells just to help things circulate within the body. This causes the skin to become dry and dull and even causing certain darkness in certain areas, like the bags under your eyes. Because the skin is dry, your overall appearance is affected. Dry skin makes your skin older, less resilient and prone to developing fine lines, wrinkles and skin discoloration.

That being said, drinking ample amounts of water everyday should be one of the things to take seriously if you wish to lighten skin.

2. Protect Your Skin From The Sun

Perhaps the reason why your skin is darker than you want it to be is due to prolonged exposure to the sun. The rays of the sun contain different things that could be disruptive and harmful for the skin. Among them are ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet C (UVC) rays. These sun rays tend to affect skin differently – UVB affects the top most layer of the skin while UVA affects the deeper layers of the skin.

Excessive exposure towards the sun can cause the melanin in your skin to react in order to protect it, which manifests in the form of skin darkening. If you have very light skin in the first place, you should be extra careful. Lighter skin means less amounts of melanin, which basically means you have very little protection against the sun. Most of the time, people with light skin are prone to adverse skin conditions like skin cancer.

That being said, limit your exposure to the sun and bring protective tools if you are planning to be outdoors. Bring an umbrella, wear longer sleeves or apply sunscreen with SPF to protect your skin.

3. Use Skin Whitening Lotions

There are thousands of skin whitening lotions and creams that you can buy to help whiten skin. If you opt to use skin whitening creams, make sure to drink lots of water, to complement the skin whitening effects of the product.

There are also serums and a variety of oils that could help whiten skin. These days, people tend to go for rose oils, argan oils, shark oils and others to apply on dark spots. It should be noted, however, that these oils tend to cause micro-peeling.

Serums and oils ought to tackle melasma, birthmarks, age spots, dark elbows as well as any sort of other skin darkness and blemishes you might have.

If you have sensitive skin, however, you might have to consult a dermatologist first before trying out these products.

It should also be noted that while lotions seem encouraging, especially with the way they are marketed to a target audience, some of these products consist of synthetic products that could cause adverse side effects on your skin.

A lot more so, over 70 percent of the lotions available today will do little for your skin. Usually these products do not have a long-lasting effect, making you dependent on it– which is not exactly what you’re attempting to accomplish.

4. Intense Pulsed Light Therapy

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy could also be an excellent way to resolve your skin darkening woes. IPL penetrates deep into skin to correct skin imperfections from within. It also boost collagen production, to make skin smoother and lighter.

Although mostly effective, IPL could be costly and may take at least 4 sessions for anyone to see any improvement. In addition, IPL does not guarantee to be effective for everyone.

Skin whitening could take a lot of time and effort before you finally find a technique that works for you. If you’re really persistent, chances are you will someday achieve the results you want.