What to do about freckles and blood vessels

[sixsexsix]

hey cashun! glad to hear you found something that works for you.

regarding the blood vessels, i had the electric current thing you discussed in you 07-10-07 post done by my dermatologist for a popped blood vessels near my eye and it worked like a charm. it doesnt really hurt, it feels like someone snapping you with an elastic for a split second, and in a couple days my years-old blood vessel was gone.

 

[Miss 1929]

This I must try!

I have one small patch of freckles on my lower left face that hydroquinone will not touch. And I wear #70 block every day!

Good to know there's another possible fix!

I also have a red spot that is broken cappilaries, but can't afford the laser yet. Maybe someday when I have a day job again...

 

[Dani California]

Ok ladies- I think I might have discovered a bizarre way of fading freckles. I came about it completely by accident and I'm not really quite sure how safe it is, but it made a drastic difference.

The story is this. I had few greys poping in that I was attempting to cover. My hair is a nice medium to dark brown with some natural red highlights (I actually adore the color and hate having to put anything on it, but those stupid greys!), anyhow, the box of color said medium brown, but it turned my hair black. Not a good look with someone who has the skin color of a copse. Seriously, I looked like an aged goth queen. Not so pretty. In my quest to try and correct this color (instead of going to a professional, like a sane person would) I attempted to correct it myself. I went to the local beuty supply and got a color corrector. I shuffle to my bathoom, apply the color corrector, to my licorice tinted locks, and with in 20 minutes my hair was a lovely shade of burnt orange, however some of the color corrector got on my face (on a particularly large cluster of freckles) and I noticed with astonishment that my freckles had faded drastically. I'm not talking a minute lightening of pigment but a huge change. I thought it was just me so I had my sister come over (who is immensely critical of me) and she noticed right away that my face was paler.

Well, it was just on that cluster of freckles, so after I finished coloring my hair (which turned black again, and I ended up having to go the beauty salon to have a professional fix it anyway), I purchased another box of color corrector and applied it to all of my freckles. It was a dream come true. They weren't completely obliterated, but they were significantly faded. Enough so that I can wear my Mac N-15 concealer and have them completely concealed.

Now some people my be skeptical about using color corrector on your face, and if my new discovery hadn't happened by accident I would never try it on my sensitive skin. The color corrector I used is simply called Color Corrector, it is in the dye section. It's a gentle corrector and after 20 minutes the potency of bleach disipitates. I would not suggest using the Lorea'l Color Zap that can be extremely harsh on the hair, I'd hate to think what it could do to pale skin, possibly burn it.

Anyway, that's what happened with me. I use this product about once or twice a month on my freckles. The freckles do come back with any exposure to the sun, but so far I have been able to keep them contained without them getting to overwhelming. So now you know my story. I'm not really sure how safe it is, so I would definitely want to caution anyone that there may be some affects, but I thought I'd share my success and let you make up your own minds if it something you'd like to try. I'm extremely pale, and have sensitive skin that get s red quite easily, but so far I have had no burns, and or break outs, as a matter of fact I don't really notice it after I've applied, and after 20 minutes and then a wash with Aveeno Clear Complexion Soy Cleanser, my face looks smooth and very touchable. So for me no side affects. Now if I could just find something for those darn broken blood vessels.

What are the ingrediants in the color corrector? I would love to get rid of the nice patch of brown on my cheek. Oh, and did you get it at Sally's?

 

[SuperKawaiiMama]

I agree with some of the others. IPL is indeed the way to go to treat both of these conditions permanently. I used it in a salon I worked in and saw some amazing successes, even through to removing some severe Roseca (?sp) In the absence of the $$ for this, the skin care products that will improve /remove the capillary problem is the Clarte Confort range by Sothy's. I has some broken capillaries, not enough to need IPL, and this fixed them right up.

 

[Lillemor]

I don't have freckles but hyperpigmentation. I bought a no brand (oriflame) liquorish+C vitamin cream and it helped tremendously! So maybe some liquorish and C vitamin cream could do the same for you. As for veins...well, I'm gothicallylol (for lack of better wording) inclined so I think veins are uber cool and I wouldn't want to hide them or get rid of them.

 

[AudreyH]

I feel your pain! lol I have very light skin, but a dash of freckles. I've always hated freckles, but I've always had them. I guess they're not that bad. I've had lots of people tell me freckles give you character.

 

[Lillemor]

I feel your pain! lol I have very light skin, but a dash of freckles. I've always hated freckles, but I've always had them. I guess they're not that bad. I've had lots of people tell me freckles give you character.

Sometimes I even try to convince myself I have them.lol Everyone tells me there's not ever the slightest hint of a freckle though.

 

[AudreyH]

Sometimes I even try to convince myself I have them.lol Everyone tells me there's not ever the slightest hint of a freckle though.

lol That's funny. I'm sorry you want them and don't have them.

 

[olive bleu]

well there's always hope.I had nary a freckle untill about 5 years ago,and now i have them accross the bridge of my nose

 

[cashun]

What are the ingrediants in the color corrector? I would love to get rid of the nice patch of brown on my cheek. Oh, and did you get it at Sally's?

Almost 2 years to reply, but yes I did get it at Sally's. Not sure what the ingredients are though. I use this about every six weeks, sometimes more when I have the free time or I have an event I want to go too.

 

[$ally]

Personally, I think freckles are adorable

 

[C-dot]

Bumpity-bump

I wonder if any of you ladies can advise me. To preface, I'm a very pale redhead. This summer, I was a bit too lax with my sunscreen application, and I discovered the other day that I have prominent freckles all over my face. My mirrors in the house are either under soft overhead or halogen light, so I hadn't noticed them until this weekend when I looked in a car vanity mirror in the clear daylight.

Looking through this thread, I read a number of possible solutions for fading them, namely Hydroquinone cream and dye corrector for hair. I can't afford the former, and I'm a bit nervous about trying the latter. Last night I exfoliated vigorously before burning a layer of skin off with a glycolic peel, and although it feels nice, it didn't help with the freckling. If I keep at this, I'll have some serious irritation issues. I'm thinking of using lemons, but I've read mixed things. Has anyone tried this method, or know of a cheap alternate way to fade freckles?

*Just as an aside, before anyone tells me not to fade them because they are cute, I agree, but on me they are downright cherubic, which I hate. I have a tendency to look 12 years old even with perfectly clear skin, and freckles make it worse.

 

[fortworthgal]

I'm covered in them, the heaviest concentration being on my face. Probably at *least* 10-15 freckles per square inch. lol I've had them since I was a very small child. I too have a round face and tend to look very young/cherubic, but I love my freckles and I don't want to cover or fade them. They're part of who I am!

I would suggest just seeing if you can perhaps find a vanishing cream over-the-counter. Also I believe Lancome is now advertising a moisturizer that is supposed to fade discolorations & even out skintone within 2 weeks, something like that might work if you don't have a minefield of them on your face (like I do). lol

 

[Clabbergirl]

In regards to the original post, it sounds like the 'freckles' are actually hyperpigmentation - a symptom of certain medications and/or hormonal changes. In either case, the only way to get rid of them is to lose the layer of skin they are on, and sometimes that can go quite deep. The answer? Exfoliate. Exfoliation can be done with physical or chemical scrubs (lemon juice and sugar, loofah, etc.), but they run the risk of irritation if overdone. Chemical exfoliation produces quicker results and is inexpensive if done at home - glycolic/lactic acid or even TCA (my favorite). The latter is stronger and more irritating and will have some 'down time', but literally peels away freckles, age spots, and hyperpigmentation. As with all peels, the stronger the chemical, the deeper the peel. Glycolic and lactic acids are generally not strong enough to truly peel away darker discolorations like freckles on the first or even second peel. They are more gradual but kinder to the skin.

Hydroquinnone doesn't actually lighten skin - it prevents the layers of skin from making melanin (which is what freckles and discoloration are - clusters of melanin). As your skin naturally sloughs off in the shower, the freckles lighten provided you aren't reexposing your skin to the sun. Hydroquinnone then blocks its ability to make more freckles...so you get gradual lightening as skin is sloughed off and the extra kick of no more melanin cells getting darker. But you MUST use a strong sun block as it leaves your skin even more vulnerable to burning than before. Hydroquinnone off the shelf (in the U.S.) is 2% which will take forever to lighten with daily applications. The Rx version is usually 4% which will usually show results in 3-4 weeks, and improve incrementally. I think it is available OTC at 4% in many countries outside the U.S.

I can't comment on the color remover as I've never heard of that and haven't tried it. If you want true freckles/discoloration GONE, get a TCA peel at say 30% and spot-treat. It's also great for reducing/eliminating wrinkles.

 

[C-dot]

Thanks so much for your replies, ladies! Clabbergirl, I've never been able to find a trichloroacetic acid peel on the shelf. Do you know of any brand names?

 

[Clabbergirl]

Thanks so much for your replies, ladies! Clabbergirl, I've never been able to find a trichloroacetic acid peel on the shelf. Do you know of any brand names?

I've not seen it on store shelves here either. But it's widely available online through Amazon. I've used Yavonne brand and also Skin Obsession brands with success. Small bottles but you can get 4-5 full-face peels out of one, and even more if you only use for spot treatments. I've used it on my hands and arms also to lessen the freckles there. And this thread has reminded me I'm due for another peel!

 

[Christi.adell]

Thanks so much for your replies, ladies! Clabbergirl, I've never been able to find a trichloroacetic acid peel on the shelf. Do you know of any brand names?

This is where I get my peels:
http://www.makeupartistschoice.com/catalog/TCA_Peels-22-1.html

They seem pretty good to me and ship pretty fast.

 

[Miss sofia]

I've not seen it on store shelves here either. But it's widely available online through Amazon. I've used Yavonne brand and also Skin Obsession brands with success. Small bottles but you can get 4-5 full-face peels out of one, and even more if you only use for spot treatments. I've used it on my hands and arms also to lessen the freckles there. And this thread has reminded me I'm due for another peel!

I'm suffering from some hyperpigmentation near my hair line and on my cheek due to medication too. Do you think you need to use a really high sunscreen after a peel as i have heard it can make the problem worse if you don't. I do wear daily sunscreen, usually a 30.

Aloe vera gel is very good i heard for hyperpigmentation.

 

[pineapplefruitcake]

Hi All,

If you're looking for something a little gentler on your skin then I know the body shop has whitening line for reducing discolouration and freckles with Vitamin C and Shiso. It's gotten pretty good reviews from what I've read but I haven't personally tried it.
http://http://www.thebodyshop.com.au/SubCategory.aspx?Id=129


For me, living in Australia with my mother's Irish skin I've had freckles all my life. They fade fairly well in winter but as soon as there's any sun at all they come back with a vengance. When I was little I used to hate being so pale and was embarassed so I didn't put on as much sunscreen as I should have when I was at school. Now I'm a little wiser and I use an SPF moisturiser every day and put extra sunscreen on basically every day in summer as I work outside. My issue is that if I wear foundation that's got enough coverage to hide my acne I also lose my freckles and it just doesn't look like me anymore - I just feel like I look fake. Does anyone have any tips for trying to balance covering acne with letting my freckles show through? Seems kind of weird I know !

 

[TillyMilly]

I've got hyperpigmentation on the top of my cheekbones that can look like black eyes sometimes. I got it from using Glycolic acid porducts, even with SPF 50 and the concentrated sunlight shining though my glasses. I had my eyes lazored and that has stopped it getting worse. I 've had great luck lightening it with Clarins White plus range- its an Asianh import though- so you will have to get it online. I use a lotion at night and a roller ball for spot- treatment of the patches.