Dark spots are a famously infuriating foe, and this equal opportunist strikes across skin tones, types, and ages. Like many antagonizers, once excess melanin forms on the skin's surface and dark spots appear, they're in no rush to leave. The overproduction of melanin is your body’s natural defense against aggravating environmental situations, like UV radiation, or lifestyle shifts, like stress or acne, but it takes something stronger than sunscreen to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. The Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser has remained a huge fan favorite cleanser for years, and for very good reasons. As a gentle, non-foaming cleanser with no fragrances, harsh surfactants or unnecessary filler ingredients, this workhorse cleanser has been recommended consistently by dermatologists and estheticians for those who need a good, budget friendly cleanser that doesn’t strip the skin. The formula behind this product is incredibly minimalistic, consisting of a few base ingredients, a handle of gentle surfactants and one or two humectants to add balance. But unlike a serum or moisturizer, this pared down formula is actually what makes this product so successful. Most research on cleansers and active ingredients within cleansing products has shown that even when active ingredients are found in these products, they’re not left on the skin long enough to really do their job properly. Because of this, using a simple and straightforward, no frills cleanser like the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser allows you to prep your skin properly, so that all of your favorite serums and essences can penetrate the skin properly. Developed for daily use, Formulyst’s Dark Spots Solution Serum targets the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone caused by hyperpigmentation. It’s formulated with HyWhite, an alpha-linolenic acid that helps lighten the appearance of dark spots and visibly improves the uniformity of skin color. Additionally, a lightweight molecular hyaluronic acid gives an instantaneous hit of moisture. This potent serum intensely nourishes skin while visibly improving the tone of the complexion. What We Love: Unlike a traditional drop applicator, the Hero Cosmetics wand used a metal ball applicator that allowed us to apply the antioxidant-rich serum close to the creases of our under eyes without worrying about irritation

Lifestyle choices aside, Dr. Alexiades says that some of us simply have a genetic predisposition to developing dark spots. “A lot of brown spots are associated with systemic disease and that is inherited,” she explains. What We Don’t Love: Layering too many heavy foundations and face lotions on top of the serum caused it to pill. Even after you’ve chosen one of the best products for dark spots, don’t forget to wear a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 every day. Sunscreen will help prevent current spots from becoming dark while helping to prevent new ones from forming.Truly, we felt like we were reading the menu of our favorite smoothie shop when we took note of what else was in the formula, like banana, apple, pear, raspberry, and apricot fruit extracts and oils that all together offer an incredible amount of antioxidants that repair and hydrate skin. Our skin looked instantly more radiant after just one application but didn’t increase the shine around our oily T-zone. Still, we knew these fruity extracts and oils were providing long-term benefits as well. These antioxidants also reduce inflammation caused by our environment, and in turn, slow down the aging process, and help to maintain moisture levels. Prescriptions must be written on an Authority Prescription Form, and the approval number must be noted on the prescription. Pharmacists cannot dispense the item as a pharmaceutical benefit unless it has been approved by Medicare Australia (indicated by the presence of the approval number). What We Love: Our skin drank up this serum the same way we gulp down an electrolyte drink after a tough workout, reinvigorating our skin, rewarding it with a more even texture and fewer breakouts.

Clinique’s Dark Spot Corrector contains a variety of plant extracts that work together to combat dark spots and other skin conditions.Mulberry root is effective in skin whitening and has antioxidant properties that help scavenge free radicals. Turmeric root and barley inhibit tyrosinase. L-Ascorbic Acid: Vitamin C in its pure form, this powerhouse antioxidant fights external skin-aging factors while brightening and evening skin tone. Several plant extracts in the Estee Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum make this a powerhouse against hyperpigmentation. Similar to Clinique’s Dark Spot Corrector, this formulation contains turmeric root, mulberry root, cucumber fruit, barley, grapefruit peel, and rice. Many of these ingredients have shown the ability to halt tyrosinase from producing more melanin. Although some formulas contain ingredients like vitamin C or hyaluronic acid, which could instantly provide a brightening or plumping effect, to get to the root of the issue and access long-term benefits, it's best to incorporate them into your daily beauty ritual.Some PBS medications are restricted and require prior approval from Medicare before a doctor is able to prescribe them on the PBS. This prior approval to prescribe grants the doctor the Authority to prescribe the desired medicine and have it funded under the PBS. Sarkar R, Arora P, Garg KV. Cosmeceuticals for Hyperpigmentation: What is Available?. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2013;6(1):4-11. doi:10.4103/0974-2077.110089 I lived on the beach for 12 years, so I have significant sun damage and tons of dark spots. The only product that has ever worked for me is Obagi. It really does work and evens out your skin tones. For retinol beginners, gradually phase into your skin care routine, working up to daily as tolerated. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Oil is a lightweight, fast-absorbing retinol oil that is said to provide visible results in just 1 week. This formula contains retinol SA, an ingredient patented exclusively by Neutrogena. The “SA” in retinol SA stands for “sustained action.” The company claims that retinol SA is distinct from retinol because of its ability to penetrate the skin and continue to work for 12 hours after its application to reduce skin discoloration and fight the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Use this targeted dark spot corrector face serum to help fight stubborn dark spots. Formulated with retinol and vitamin C, this dark spot corrector improves the look of dark spots and skin discoloration, revealing noticeably more even, younger-looking skin in just one week. Retinol is another exfoliating ingredient — and perhaps one of the most celebrated skincare ingredients for targeting the signs of age. Retinol causes the skin cells to turn over, which begins the process of removing the pigmented cells. As dark spots are sloughed away, your skin replaces them with normally pigmented cells. Our little dose of sunshine had some assistance from ferulic acid, a powerful antioxidant found in plants known for fighting free radical damage that leads to acneic skin and for healing acne wounds. Yet, even when we did get the inevitable blemish, the serum sped up the recovery process and our pimples didn’t look quite as angry or red as usual. Working in tandem is gallic acid, a plant-based ingredient known for its brightening properties, brimming with a ridiculous concentration of phenolic acids, which is basically the heavyweight champion of fighting inflammation and bacteria growth. It’s so effective that it can even match hydrocortisone when treating the severe red, itchy symptoms associated with atopic dermatitis. The formula is also stuffed with moisture replenishing ingredients, like hydrolyzed rice protein, to prevent dehydration. This little protein has also been shown to reduce tyrosinase activity that leads to melanin production. Panthenol is another skin-softening ingredient that pulls double-duty by nourishing the skin while delivering healing properties that can fade the look of acne scars and other marks. The brand thoughtfully incorporated other ingredients into its formula that overwork themselves to condition skin and fade dark spots, like lecithin. The fatty acid plumps skin, protects it from external damage and strengthens the skin barrier so that new dark spots are less likely to crop up. The formula also contains more moisture-rich ingredients such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and a bountiful of fruit extracts to ensure you have your softest skin yet.A combination of Vitamin C and Accelerated Retinol SA boosts surface skin renewal to brighten skin's tone and help reduce the appearance of dark spots revealing noticeably more even, younger looking skin. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, HATS AND EYEWEAR WHEN EXPOSED TO THE SUN. PROLONGED SUN EXPOSURE SHOULD BE AVOIDED. FREQUENT USE AND RE-APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH DIRECTIONS IS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE SUN PROTECTION.