Review of BlackSkin’s Intensive Fade Gel & Dark Spot Prevention Sunscreen
BlackSkin.com’s Erase My Dark Spots Kit contains a gel to fade discolored skin and dark spots and sunscreen to prevent further dark spots from developing.
Details:
Price: $35. The Kit includes Clear & Even Intensive Dark Spot Fade Gel (1.5 oz) and Clear & Even Dark Spot Prevention SPF 30 Sunscreen (2 fl oz).
Manufacturer: Hunter Enterprises, LLC
Clear & Even Intensive Fade Gel with Glycolic Acid
Description
Clear & Even Intensive Fade Gel promises to penetrate deep into the skin to lighten skin discolorations, erasing dark spots while you sleep.
Details:
Main Ingredients
- Hydroquinone (2 %)
- Demineralized spring water
- Glycolic acid
- Glycerin
- Allantoin
- Aloe vera gel
Pros: Fades dark spots
Cons: Contains hydroquinone and other ingredients that are considered potential toxins, skin irritants or allergens.
Hydroquinone: Does it Harm Skin of Color?
Review
The Clear & Even Intensive Dark Spot Fade Gel contains “Skin Lightening Complex 25,” which sounds impressive but is actually just 2 % hydroquinone. Hydroquinone makes an effective spot treatment for dark spots, old scars, discolorations and dark marks caused by acne.
The fade gel is clear and a bit watery in consistency, so you should be careful when handling the jar. The product can easily spill out. It’s probably best to use a small brush (like an eye shadow brush) to apply the gel directly on the dark spot(s). This will prevent wasting the gel, and since it contains hydroquinone, it’s also a good idea to limit treatment to the affected skin.
First, test the product on another part of the body (such as the inside of the elbow) for sensitivity before applying to the face. Wash the face (or other areas to be treated) before application. The directions also state to not apply lotion before or after using the product and to use it only at night.
You’ll need to use moisturizer after you cleanse your face in the morning because the gel can be drying. The sunscreen contains moisturizer, but use a facial moisturizer for your skin type and then apply the sunscreen 15 minutes before going out into the sunlight.
I did not use the fade gel on my face (fortunately I don’t have discolorations on the face) but tested the product on a superficial dark spot on my leg that was probably caused by a mosquito bite that was scratched, became scared and then darkened.
I noticed that the mark started fading after only two days and by the third day it was gone. I used the product only at night, and in spite of the fact that pants were covering my legs whenever I went outside, I still used the sunscreen to avoid any incidental sun exposure (via a window in the apartment or when answering the door, etc.)
Clear & Even Dark Spot Prevention SPF 30 Sunscreen
Description
Clear & Even Dark Spot Prevention SPF 30 Sunscreen helps prevent new dark spots from forming and protects existing spots from further darkening.
Details
(Active sunscreen ingredients):
- Octinoxate (7.5%)
- Octisalate (2%)
- Oxybenzone (4%)
Cons: Contains chemical sunscreens, parabens and other ingredients that may be skin irritants and allergens.
Review
I consider sunscreen the most important step in dark spot prevention. Using sunscreen can help prevent hyperpigmentation, dark spots and age spots from forming. When using any kind of treatment to lighten dark spots from acne and sun exposure, a required part of maintenance is the use of sunscreen, or any treatment you have done will be for naught. Using this product and then subjecting your skin to sun exposure will, to use a word appropriate for this review, erase any improvement to your dark spots.
How to Remove and Prevent Age Spots
While the sunscreen contains chemical ingredients, it has a creamy texture and applies smoothly. It doesn’t have an unpleasant scent like some chemical sunscreens.
The Final Word
After successfully eliminating one dark spot, I started using the fade gel on a few older dark marks on my legs. Like the first dark spot, they also look like they are beginning to fade. Admittedly, dark marks from mosquito bites are superficial compared to those caused by acne and deep skin discolorations, but other users saw some improvement after five days. Give the product up to 2-weeks to begin to see spots fading. How long this takes will also depend on the type of dark mark and how long you have had it.
The product works, but I have to admit that I have issues with certain ingredients in the fade gel that can be irritants or are considered skin toxicants and/or allergens, such as HQ and preservatives (like Diazolidinyl urea) that can cause contact allergies in sensitive individuals. The gel and sunscreen also contain methylparaben (preservative), and propylparaben (fungicide) generally considered the safest of the parabens used in cosmetics, but there is still debate as to whether parabens mimic the hormone estrogen and are endocrine system disrupters. What is known is that in some people parabens can cause contact dermatitis and skin sensitivity. I’m also not a big fan of chemical sunscreens.
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Though the ingredients in the products have fairly low to moderate hazard ratings at the EWG’s Skin Deep database, I’d probably look for a product with less dubious ingredients. But for noticeable or severe discolorations and dark marks from acne, the Intensive Fade Gel might be a good choice.
The Erase My Dark Spots Skin Care Kit is $35, plus $5 for shipping. Visit www.blackskin.com.
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