Attempting to Fade Dark Spots
I’ve been wanting to do a scientific-ish skin care experiment for awhile; I’m 40 years old and first started noticing dark spots along the tops of my cheekbones when I was about 30. I’ve tried many products that claim to fade dark spots but unfotunately none have worked for me thus far.
Over the summer I got my first facial at a spa in Napa Valley, and the esthetician recommended two Osmosis Skincare products for lightening dark spots: Enlighten Pigment-Fading Serum and Rescue Epidermal Repair Serum. So…I bought one from the spa and the other online after some waffling about spending so much on one skin care product (I’ll get to that).
These products are not cheap ($65 and $110-120, respectively), though I did get the Rescue serum at a discount from Dermstore.com. Both are available at Amazon.com as well. I figured using these products in concert would be the perfect opportunity to conduct an experiment of sorts.
About the Products
Here’s what the brand says about the Enlighten Serum: “This Osmosis pigment-fading serum lightens skin and diminishes the appearance of age spots.”
And about the Rescue serum: “This Osmosis epidermal repair serum has a remarkable ability to neutralize toxins, calm inflammation, activate epidermal wound repair, and provide the skin the tools needed to permanently treat pores, age spots, and skin texture changes.”
I’m not expecting miracles here—I know everyone’s skin is different. But I thought it would be interesting to finally try a quasi-scientific experiment and see if I get any results.
The Experiment
Both serums are meant to be used as part of the morning and nighttime skincare routine. I’m going to do my very best to stick to the twice daily plan for at least six weeks. I’m sure I’ll skip an application here and there due to laziness or travel. I’ll use Enlighten as a spot treatment and apply Rescue all over my face, after cleansing and before moisturizing.
Before Photos
Here’s the scary part: posting the “before” photos of my bare skin that we can use for comparison later.
My dark spots are mostly along the tops of my cheekbones, but I have a larger one on my left cheek and a dark splotch on my right lower cheek above the jawline. There are also a couple on the left side of my forehead that I’ll be targeting.
To control for changes in lighting conditions in my apartment, I took the before photos in the master bathroom with the door closed and will do the same for the after photos. The bathroom doesn’t have the best lighting, but I want to ensure the same lighting for before and after pics. I haven’t altered the before photos in any way: no filters, no Facetune, no other photo editing. I took these photos after showering but before applying any skin care products.
Here goes…
Left side:
Right side:
I hope my naked, spotty skin hasn’t frightened you too much. 😛
I began using these products twice daily on October 1, 2018. I’ll update my progress here in six weeks or so! The products will likely need more time than that to fade dark spots, so if I haven’t seen any fading in six weeks I’ll continue using them and update again later.
Have you ever tried a skin care experiment like this on yourself?
