We live in a country where beauty is defined by the colour of one’s skin tone.As the desire to lighten skin colour has increased manifold, the demand for various skin lightening treatments has also skyrocketed globally. It’s wrong to make judgement about people on their colour, but a majority of people just want to even out their skin tone and brighten up their skin. Various brands bring out impressive skin whitening options. Interestingly, skin whitening treatments help in reducing dark spots, melasma, sun damage, freckles, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and other types of marks. The most visible result that you obtain from this is lighter and even toned skin. From laser treatments to bleaching, there are different ways to whiten your skin. So, the burning question of the hour is “Is skin whitening a permanent solution to treat dark skin?” In this post, we will answer your doubts regarding the permanency of skin whitening treatments.

What is Skin Whitening?
Skin whitening is a procedure that targets at decreasing the melanin content in your skin. Since melanin is the substance responsible for determining your skin colour, a reduction in this hormone can give you lighter skin tone. Hence, people who are naturally fair have less melanin than those who have comparatively darker skin tone. In this process, substances, formulation, therapeutic solutions or physical treatments are used to reduce the production of tyrosinase enzyme that is responsible for production of melanin in the skin.

What are the different options to whiten the skin colour?
In order to get your skin whitened, different kinds of cosmetic procedures are followed. This procedure can be done on full body or on the face as per the needs. While a laser machine is used for a full body brightening treatment, treatments like chemical peels, bleaching, or cryosurgery are mostly done for a facial skin whitening procedure. Here, we are listing out some of the commonly followed skin whitening options:

• Chemical Peeling: Chemical peeling is considered to be a gentle and safer option to get lighter skin colour. During this process, a peeling solution is applied to remove the damaged outer layer of the skin which allows the healthier lower layers to appear on the top of the surface. This peeling solution can be of different concentrations as per your skin tone: Light, medium, Deep. You can get this done at any reputed skin clinic.
• Laser Skin Whitening: This is a far more advanced and quicker technique for whitening skin colour. In this procedure, darker skin is exposed to a concentrated beam of laser light. As this light has a high intensity, the dark skin cells are destroyed and cell growth of fairer and healthier skin is promoted. The regenerated skin is flawlessly toned and shows radiance. This process mainly targets dark spots, sun tanning and skin pigmentation.
• Skin whitening injections: Another way of whitening skin is to use injections that contain glutathione, a skin lightening agent. This inhibits the production of an enzyme called tyrosinase, which is involved in making melanin in the body. Assumptions say that these injections can detoxify the body, protect the skin from harmful UV rays and promotes fair skin tone. You can find these injections in selected skin clinics. However, high use of these injections can have adverse impact on skin.
• Skin whitening products: This is the most easily accessible way to whiten your skin and anybody can get skin whitening products. There are a plethora of chemical and whitening products in the market. Most of these products have materials like azelaic acid, retinol, hydroquinone, glycolic acid etc. which have mazing skin bleaching properties. It is advisable to use these products on a permanent basis after consulting a dermatologist.

Is Skin Whitening Permanent?
This was the major concern of this article. Well, the answer to this question depends on what procedure you follow to lighten your skin. If you opt for skin whitening products or skin whitening injections, then the results are not long lasting. You have to take these skin lightening injections at regular intervals to keep the skin whitening effect intact. If go opt for skin whitening products, the results might be shown instantly but some of the bleaching products can harm your skin in the long run. So, it better not to use them without consulting a doctor.

Now, coming to chemical peeling, it is a much safer option to whiten your skin but in this case also the results won’t be long-lasting and you will need time to time maintenance sessions to keep the effects intact. But don’t worry, there is another solution that can give your skin a whitened look for years, i.e.

Laser skin whitening – It is considered to be a long term solution and even though it comes expensive than other procedures, skin whitening achieved through laser treatments is often considered permanent.

To sum up, the answer to our question is skin whitening treatments are permanent if you opt for laser skin whitening treatments. Other methods won’t give you long-lasting results. In addition to that, if you have to increase the longevity of your skin whitening, then you must follow a healthy lifestyle, use a sun screen for sun protection, follow basic skin care routine, eat balanced diet and drink plenty of water. Also, we would advise you not to mess with your skin without consultation. Hence, seek appointment with your dermatologist where an expert will let you know of your desired skin tone and after-effects of your chosen course of action. So, think wisely and then opt for any skin whitening treatment.