ASDM Beverly Hills What is Skin bleaching Blog

What is Skin Bleaching?

Skin bleaching is a process used to treat discoloration of the skin, known as Hyper pigmentation. Hyperpigmentation has become a growing concern for many cosmetic patients. To understand why it occurs and how it can be treated and prevented, we must first understand how skin pigmentation is determined. One’s own unique skin color is determined by a pigment called melanin. This pigment is synthesized within melanosomes which are specialized cellular compartments (AKA organelles). These melanosomes are located within cells called melanocytes. It is here that melanin is produced.
Vital for the successful synthesis and distribution of melanin is an amino acid called Tyrosine. This amino acid is important because it produces an enzyme call Tyrosinase. This enzyme helps make the transfer of melanin from the melanocyte to the keratinocyte possible, by increasing the rate of the reaction by over a million times! Once the melanosome has produced enough melanin, it is transferred to keratinocytes (the most abundant cell types in the epidermis). Here melanin gets dispersed resulting in ones own unique skin color.

Besides being responsible for skin and hair color, melanin is also essential in protecting our skin from excess UV radiation. Unfortunately, melanin is simply not enough protection. For optimal skin health, it is important to know how to be protected against harmful UV radiation and other free radicals, which increase melanin production. Using sunscreen or sunblock on a daily basis is a good skin regime to always maintain, especially before exposure to sunlight. Another important way is by supplying our body with enough antioxidants, both topically and internally. When searching for skin bleaching treatments, make sure that they contain antioxidants. Here at ASDM Beverly hills, we have a special product called Super Strength Bleaching Cream, that contains all the important skin bleaching agents and is rich in antioxidants.

Kojic Acid is a by-product in the fermentation process of malting rice. Since the enzyme Tyrosinase contains copper, Kojic Acid is able to effectively chelate (remove) the copper by lowering the PH level around Tyrosinase. Once the copper cofactor is removed, Tyrosinase activity is suppressed and hence so is melanin production. Since being discovered by the Japanese in the early 1990s, Kojic Acid has become one of the most favored agents to help combat hyper pigmentation.

Arbutin is a naturally occurring derivative of hydroquinone that is found in the dried leaves of pear trees and other plants such as bearberry. It is a structural homology of Tyrosinase, meaning that it has a similar structure as Tyrosinase, but different type of activity. This results in Arbutins effective inhibitory effects on Tyrosinase activity and thus melanin production.

Licorice Root contains an active compound called Glabridin, which helps treat ailing skin (dermatitis, eczema, skin irritation, etc.). It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and skin whitening properties. When used for skin lightening, Glabridin may inhibit melanogenesis via two mechanisms : inhibition of the production of active oxygen species or inhibition of Tyrosine. More research is needed to fully understand how Glabridin affects melanin production, but research has shown it to have great potential as a natural skin bleaching agent.

In this fast paced world it can become a rather challenging task, waiting to see results. Depending on the severity of each persons skin condition, it can take a couple to several months to see results. Successful skin bleaching also depends greatly on how much care is given to preventing against further damage. Taking proper precautions to avoid exposure to sunlight and always using sunscreen or sunblock with SPF 80 and above are important precautionary measures.

Yotkota, T., Nishio, H., Kubota, Y., and Mizoguchi, M. 1998. The Inhibitory Effect of Glabridin from Licorice Extracts on Melanogenesis and Inflammation. Pigment Cell Research. II: 355-361.

Wenyuan, Z., Jie, G. (2008). The use of botanical extracts as topical skin-lightening agents for the improvement of skin pigmentation disorders. Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings, 13(20-24), Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18369335 botanical extracts as topical skin-lightening agents for the improvement of skin pigmentation disorders.