Bleaching creams

Many of us have our imperfections on our face. Whether we like it or not, we all earn little freckles and signs of sun damage with our years. As we get older, freckles start looking less cute and more annoying.
Visiting the drug stores and the mall counters, you see all the products promoting its effect to LIGHTEN the brown spots we have. But how effective are they?
Working in derm has showed me the potential in the RX treatments compared to over the counter, mall brand creams. When it comes to lightening brown spots, many aspects should be taken into consideration. Will you be using sunscreen afterwards? Whats causing the pigmentation? (pregnancy, hormones, birth control, sun?) Whats my budget? Will I be able to tolerate my treatment.
In my experience I am mostly impressed with one ingredient. Its a prescription only so you know it cant be sold anywhere, meaning it actually can be aggressive enough to WORK!
When looking for bleaching agents, look for HYDROQUINONE. Hydroquinone is a prescription grade cream used for erasing brown spots, freckles, and melasma (otherwise known as the pregnancy mask)
***There are rumors, on this being a carcinogen. This was cleared by the FDA and is considered a safe product when used as directed and under the care of a physician.
The 2 products I rely on with HQ are OBAGI and compounded creams which have the ingredient as well as Retin A. The Retin A and HQ work AMAZING together and while one bleaches, the other exfoliates. This combo is very effective and not only have I experienced the results of it, but my mother, sisters, and patients are thrilled with the outcome.
The product we sell at work is called HQRA.($50)
HQ:Hydroquinone, R: Retin A and hydrocortisone. The hydrocortisone cuts back on the irritation that retin a can cause. This is a night time product only and should be used very wisely with small amounts.
ALWAYS use sunscreen when treating pigmentation because it can come back just as easy as they did in the first place.

Here is my regimen with ObAGi:P

Wash skin with Obagi Cleanser, Prep the skin with step 2 which is the Obagi Toner. Step 3 is missing on my kit only because I have the *HQ* in step 5. Step 4 is glycolic acid which helps with acne. Step 5 is the important part of the whole kit. It contains the 4% HQ and as you can see it is called BLENDER because you blend it with a pea-size of Retin A. Step 6 is sunscreen. The nice thing of these products is that they are all numbered and labeled AM and PM.
OBAGI is my favorite line, not only with these products but with everything that they have made. This is sold at MDs offices as well as the internet. Its actually pretty cheap @ Amazon.
I seriously Recommend this line!!!!

Clarisonic Brush (PRO)

I am very fortunate for working in derm. I get easy access to the latest skin care products. In my years there, I have been lucky enough to get my hands on a Clarisonic Brush. I read reviews on EVERYTHING.. so of course I read into the possibility of investing in this. The brush comes in many different forms. There is PRO which is only dispensed at MDs office and then there is the over the counter Clarisonic which has less speeds. There is also a very CUTE small travel size clarisonic, MIA. They come in many colors and might seem like a big cost, HOWEVER, I have seen so many clients buy EXPENSIVE products at the office and by all means get what the product promises at a low standard.
Clarisonic cleans your skin to the last pore. This being said, anything you put on your face after you use the Clarisonic will penetrate so much more!! The traditional techniques of cleaning our faces leave traces of dirt and oil trapped in our pores. Clarisonic Systems use a sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to gently, yet throroughly remove 6x more makeup than using the hands alone.
It leaves the skin feeling and looking healthier and cleaner. It reduces oil and the appearance of pores.

I am very pleased with my brush and love the fact that 1. you can charge it easily with the stand it comes with without replacing batteries and 2. you can get it wet in the shower.. It is timed so you know exactly how much time is needed per area.
Prices on the Classic Clarisonic vary but are around the $200 range. The MIA is a little over $100. Here are some pictures of MY OWN CLARISONIC. I have had it for years and have dropped it 100s of times and its still working as good as when I got it. EXCUSE the cut on my thumb, LOng Story..

Retin A/Tretinoin

Retin A or the generic form of it(tretinoin) is a key ingredient to healthy skin. Many me be familiar with the medicine (yes this is a prescription) because it is a common acne treatment dermatologist give out like candy.
It is so much more than that though. Basically, retin a is a VITAMIN A component. Its an exfoliant that keeps the skin clear and clean. It also promotes collagen and being that the typical human being stops making collage at the age of 35, this is a restart to the collagen making machine. Retin A is also notorious for treating sun damage and precancers. Since it exfoliates the top layers of the skin, the cell turnover makes you have a clean complexion at all times, with clean pores and even skin tone.
Retin A is used in combination with bleaching creams and this makes them more potent. Obagi is a very popular cosmeceutical that works hand in hand with retin A.
You can get a prescription by asking a dermatologist and maybe a primary care. You can even get this in Mexico for pretty cheap ($-20) The only downside to Retin A is that it can be irritating if not done right. There are 2 strengths of this. 0.025% which is very mild, 0.05% which is standard, and 0.1% which is for people with very hard and oily skin, It comes in cream and gel. I wouldnt recommend gel unless you have severe oily skin. This is more aggressive
Retin A is a night time cream to be applied to a clean face. The best way of applying it is the following:
Make sure face is clean, start by opening your retin a. Mind that there are many different brand names for this. I happen to use one called Atralin. Its not as harsh and i get free Samples

Then get a small pea siZe amount on your index finger. More is not better in this case

Then apply the pea sizes amount to face by dividing it to 5 small pease: forehead, nose, cheeks and chin

Then break down each of the 5 drops of retin a to smaller sized peas around that area like this

Now, you should have a face covered with little dots. Please avoid eye area and lips. These are too sensitive. Gently rub in dots to the area.

after you rub in all of the dots you should have a very invisible thin layer of medication.

Go to sleep and wash off in the mornig.
Enjoy the benefits of retin a!!! I recommend you start retin a regimen 2-3 times a week. Your skin will peel and be pink-red for 6 weeks. This is all part of the Retin A boot camp. By week 7 the exfoliation process continues but the redness and peeling should be over. Now you should continue retin a for the rest of your life or until you stop caring about your skin.

My History in Dermatolgy

I happen to work for a very reputable derm office in Tucson, AZ. Ironwood Dermatology has 4 physicians and a physician assistant who does strictly cosmetics. This has helped me expand my interest in beauty so much. I started school determined to be a Medical assistant and specialize in plastics or cosmetics. I was lucky enough to do my externship at this office. Its been 5 years and although the place is very busy, I get a chance to experience first hand what the skin goes through.

I have been rewarded by the physicians with a certificate and license to practice lasers. I am a Certified Medical Laser Technician/ I did my studies in a laser school in Phoenix AZ. I have used the laser hair removal machine many times and am currently undergoing treatments myself.

A big advantage to working with dermatology is that I get to try alot of the cosmeceuticals that are out there. Not to mention all the advice on skin care I get at the drop of a hat. Since Ive been working there I have become such a knowledgeable piece to their practice because I research all the products we carry as well as test them on myself. I am very fond of OBAGI products which I will later do a Blog on.

I am exposed to Botox, fillers, and procedures on a daily basis and see the different scenarios on which they fall into place.

I see alot of the good, but then alot of the bad. SKin Cancers are biopsied everyday there. We do full skin exams on patients as young as 2-3 to as old as 90. Its so interesting to see the sun damage\'s effects on skin after years of tanning.

I plan to stay there in hope that some day, all the work on the side I do pertaining to cosmetics will benefit the practice.

If you are in the area and need of a good dermatology please look into this one.
http://ironwooddermatology.org/

Latisse

Latisse

Latisse is a prescription that is derived from the medication that controls an eye condition called Glacoma.

Allergan , who makes BOTOX, patented the idea and made it a universal product that beenfits anyone who tries it.

I personally have been using it for 2 years +.

It has done wonders to a point where I get compliments everywhere I go.

This is very different from Dabalash and the other products out there. Latisse is the only FDA approved product that has actual science supporting its clinical trials.

It is exclusive to a point where you can only get it if a DOCTOR gives you a prescription for it or dispenses it at their office.

Rumor has it that it turns your eye color to a different color. FALSE!

The only rumor that has a little bit of risk is that since this DOES make your eyelashes thicker, longer and darker, it can slightly pigment the lash line because its making the pigment cells darker so the hair comes out darker. Therefore skin may be affected, This, is reversible if you stop using the product.

However, I would rather use concealer and try to cover this up and have the benefit of amazing eyelashes. There is an employee of mine who is male and uses it for eyebrows. He is very happy with his results. 

The best advice I can give you is to throw away all the little brushes that come in the BOX. THEY SUCK! Invest in an eyeliner brush, a very fine one. Unscrew cap of Latisse and drop one drop into the cap, dip brush in it and apply medicine to the lashline (upper and lower). This is to be done at night on a clean face.
It is very normal to have some irritation at first but eventually your skin gets used to it.
Results can be apparent at about a month but MAXIMUM results are at 16 weeks so even if you see a great improvement, dont stop, it gets BETTER!

Latisse is maintenance, so if you stop using it, your eyelashes will NOT all fall out at one time. But as you lose them, they will grow back how mother nature intended you to have them. 
Here are my pictures after using Latisse. Not much mascara is being used ladies, this is all natural.

Reviews and Swatches

When it comes to makeup, there are many trials on what fits your face and skin. What might work for your friend migth be very unappealing for you. For example, I watch alot of tutorials and am sold right away on products being used by the artist. I run and buy the products and I end up extremeley disappointed on how it looks on me.

However, I can always depend on 2 sites for advice.

The definition of a SWATCH is a representative portion; a sample. So for makeup, it might look very different on the picture or video, but when it comes to application on skin, the color changes depending on the undertone of the client. The following websites provide "samples" of the makeup.

Karla Sugar:

http://karlasugar.net/ is a website dedicated to reviewing and swatching makeup so that people like you and me have a better idea on what texture, color, and result we are getting for products. She discusses Drug store brands and high end makeup as well.  She applies the colors on her arms and this gives you an idea on how the color turns out. She will also do a heavier coat on certain products so you can see the build up of color. This is a good resource to have on hand when considering investing in makeup.

Temptalia:

My other favorite site is http://www.temptalia.com/  Here is another site where they provide detailed reviews. You also get heads up on new products coming out and the pricing. This site applies to makeup all across the board from drugstore to high end.