Let me start this blog post by posing a question:

Are Freckles a thing of beauty?

No, Freckles are a sign of sensitivity to the sun and signify that your skin has been damaged by previous excessive sun exposure. Every day your skin is battered by the ravages of the suns UV rays and if you have fair skin, the reaction of the pigment producing cells to the sun can lead to freckles.

A lot of my patients are surprised to learn that freckles can be treated very effectively with medical skincare products, as the pictures below testify. Not only can we treat freckles but we can ensure that they remain permanently at bay with ongoing maintenance using ZO Medical Skincare. ZO Medical Skincare is “the new kid on the block” in terms of skincare and it literally has taken the skincare world by storm.

If you are fed up with your freckles, read on because at CosmeticDoctor, we have found a very effective treatment which can literally airbrush your skin.

What are freckles?

Freckling is a condition which occurs when the pigment producing cells called melanocytes behave in an unregulated manner. In short what occurs, is that these melanocytes go into over drive and behave chaotically resulting in an increase in the production of dark pigment called melanin. However the problem is not just over production but an uneven distribution of this pigment also.

What is Healthy skin?

If you think of youthful skin, you imagine the skin of a new born baby with a flawless complexion. A babies skin is clear, free of pigment, even toned and smooth in texture. As we age our skin becomes mottled, has an irregular pattern of pigmentation and becomes rough to the touch. This is the definition of ageing. We can turn back the clock on the ageing process and rejuvenate skin through constant stimulation using retinol products restoring skin health. Healthy skin is clear, smooth skin where the skin cells are functioning well and the pigment producing cells are behaving themselves and under control.

Freckles, the Solution?

To reverse the effects of the ravages of the sun, ZO skincare has launched a novel product called Brightenex. Brightenex is a cream containing 1% retinol and is based on Dr. Zein Obagi’s philosophy of skin health. We know from clinical trials and Dr. Klein studies that we need 0.6% retinol and above to ensure an active concentration in the skin. Leading drug and department store retinol products contain approximately 0.15% and 0.25% respectively. The retinol concentration is minuscule,
which explains why these products never cause a reaction, redness or flaking.

In addition many retinol products are stored in jars. I bet you did not know that each time these jars are opened and exposed to the air the retinol becomes inactive. Therefore ZO products contain 1% retinol, so way more potent than competitor department store brands and more importantly ZO products are stored in airtight pumps and thus never exposed to air.

What is so special about this freckle treatment?

Previously as clinicians the only clinically effective product in our armentarium was hydroquinone. Hydroquinone, a bleaching agent is available through prescription from your doctor and is well recognised as the gold standard in the treatment and maintenance of pigmentation diseases. However overuse can lead to over bleaching of the skin and sometimes even darkening of your pigmentation called “rebound hyperpigmentation”. This is why hydroquinone is not recommended for long term usage.

Brightenex is a non-hydroquinone skin brightening and pigment correcting cream which targets all three stages of pigment production by the melanocytes (or pigment producing factory). This product contains a blend of potent retinol and antioxidants, inhibits pigment production and brightens and evens skin tone and quality. Readers, this sure is strong stuff and not for the faint hearted but the results are definitely worth it!

As this product is so potent it is advisable to use 1-2 pumps, 2-3 times per week to start with and increase frequency to alternate days, up to daily as tolerated. Some down time is to be expected such as dryness, peeling redness and flaking during the initial repair phase which is the first 6 weeks. Between week 6-12 redness settles as skin becomes more tolerant to the product.

Freckle treatment, show me the results!

This is a case of a young lady with freckling also known as lentigines. As you can see she used brightenex and this is an example of the level of improvement one can expect over 2 months.

Before treatment with ZO Medical products and 2 months post treatment.