Being yourself can be hard. 

At Skin Actives Scientific, we know it, you know it. In today’s society, there are a lot of voices that are pushing us to be “authentic” and “honest” about who we are. But are these voices just giving lip service to this idea? If you go on TikTok or Instagram it feels like there are just thousands and thousands of people that are so beautiful and perfect. It can feel like everyone is easily, naturally, “authentically” beautiful…except us.

The message feels different from the lived reality. 

But when you look around do you really see so many effortlessly beautiful people? Where are they? What are they up to all day? Kourtney Kardashian (Edit: We hear that it’s now Kourtney Kardashian Baker as of a few minutes ago) found time to lay provocatively in the seat of a convertible car on her wedding day. There’s no chance that pose was effortless, much less “authentic”.

And then there is the sub-message, the unspoken message that is designed to winnow away at your self-confidence, your self-image, your self-idea. These unspoken messages often target the way our bodies are shaped, and the shade of our skin.

These images and messages can be, to say the least, highly problematic.

Not only do they forward toxic concepts of who gets to occupy positions of beauty and privilege, they create cultural undercurrents that divide people against one another in groups. On a macro level, the money, power, and influence that goes into these images can divide nations. We’re experiencing something like that in our current world today, where we are realigning our values as a culture and people from many different angles are upset about the outcomes.

On the micro level, we see these messages inflaming not only people’s feelings of low worth, but exacerbating mental health issues as well.

Skin “Whitening”, Bleaching” and The Skin Actives Way

At Skin Actives Scientific, we do not believe in processes designed to “whiten” or “bleach” the skin.

It is horrifying to us that in 2022, there are still products on the market that seek to achieve this purpose, or at the very least, to defraud people who feel compelled to try it. Our Founder, Dr. Hannah Sivak, explains:

“Skin whitening by any other name….Let’s start from the beginning. There is no scientific definition for “skin brightening” or “skin lightening”; these are terms used by the cosmetic industry and, within the industry, their advertising department. Why? Because the “honest” term, bleaching products were limited (until 2020) by the FDA to over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal products using hydroquinone; since 2020, hydroquinone can only be obtained with a prescription. Why this limitation? Because hydroquinone, especially long term, can lead to skin troubles, like the development of ochronosis, a special type of hyperpigmentation, dermatitis, milia, and more.”

At Skin Actives we do not have any products designed to “whiten”, “lighten”, or “beach” the skin. It is never our desire to alter someone’s natural appearance in that way and we reject beauty standards that would make someone want to.

Addressing Skin Hyperpigmentation 

Instead, Skin Actives focuses our efforts on the realms of health and science with our Skin Brightening Cream, designed to help you even the tone of skin damaged by overexposure to free radicals.

Dr. Sivak continues:

“We are talking about a different objective. There are too many skin problems that are related to pigmentation. Some of them require medical care. Others are just ”normal,” but “normal” doesn’t mean that they are welcome by the sufferer. For example, I would rush to the doctor if I suspected I had the autoimmune condition called vitiligo (expanding patches of skin that lose pigmentation). Conversely, a dermatologist will not take the small hyperpigmentation patch on my face too seriously: a sunburn or a kitchen mishap may cause permanent hyperpigmentation; this problem will not spread, and it’s unlikely to cause much trouble besides the dark spot.”

You don’t want prescription medications and their side-effects to deal with small, unsightly blemishes. As frustrating as hyperpigmentation blemishes may be, they are not necessarily something to worry about and therefore not something worth upsetting the internal balance of your body’s biochemistry to address.

If you’d like to hear more from Dr. Sivak about science, formulation, and what goes on behind the scenes in the skincare industry, check out her personal blog, here!

Even Skin Tone with Skin Actives Scientific

Skin Actives Skin Brightening Cream is designed to help you overcome these skin damage or age-related challenges. Our first piece of recommendation though, be patient.

When you think about it, the free radical damage took a long time to build up in your skin. If your hyperpigmentation occurs from factors related to aging, it took as long as you have been alive to get where you are now. The point is, it’s going to take a minute to reverse these conditions. At Skin Actives, we recommend 90 days before you start seeing real results. Healthy results take time! Don’t expect miracles, and don’t let yourself get impatient and look for an over-the-top solution that could have long term implications for your skin health.

Skin Actives products work using natural processes to get healthier skin.

Here are some steps you can take:

1.) Use Skin Brightening Cream - This cream contains a mixture of three active ingredients that will work to reduce melanin production as your skin renews. This is combined with a mix of potent lipids to stay nourished. Follow that up with antioxidant peptides to scour free radicals and you have the perfect cream to begin your journey to even skin tone. Try one today for 10% off with Coupon Code: EVEN10

2.) Use Sunscreen Every Day - We say this a lot here on the blog, but that’s because it’s so true: if you aren’t using sunscreen every day, you should be. If you are already, then congratulations! The next step is making sure that you are using sunscreen effectively. Are you getting all the exposed parts of your skin? The tops of your ears and the area around your neck are places that are easy to overlook. If you find yourself driving a great deal, make sure that your arms and hands have sunscreen coverage everyday too!

3.) Promote Cell Turnover - In order for the melanin suppressed cells to become visible, you are going to need to kick your cell regeneration system into high gear. This is not just to grow new cells, but to shed the old, discolored ones as well. Try Skin Actives High Potency EGF Serum to stimulate cell turnover and get the newest, healthiest cells where they can be seen more quickly.

Well, that’s it Skin Actives family. Thanks for tuning in to another edition of our blog, we hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned as we present new features with your skin health in mind. Have a great week!