A few years ago I started noticing my skin didn’t look quite right. I developed these splotchy dark areas on my cheeks, my upper lip, and on my forehead. Maybe dark isn’t the right word. Discolored is a better one.
A neighbor of mine in our current neighborhood here in Nashville told me she’d had the same trouble in her 30s. (Which I am. She’s 50.) She told me hers was due to hormones and the sun. (Which I suspect so is mine. When we lived in Florida I spent a ton of time outdoors. Also, I notice around that time of the month I get even splotchier.)
Dermatologists
My neighbor had gone to see a dermatologist who’d given her some really great face lotion with retinol–A in it. She claimed it worked marvelously.
The trouble was her dermatologist was very hard to get an appointment with. (He has a six month waiting list.) For another, he’s expensive. (She paid $250 just for the consult, then $60 for the little jar of magic lotion that only lasted two months.)
She suggested I try some of the over-the-counter stuff first before I invested that kind of money. So I did.
Over-the-Counter
I started with Neutrogena’s Visibly Even face wash and nighttime lotion. I saw results within two weeks. And now, almost six months later, those splotches have totally faded on my forehead and are very, very light on my upper lip and cheeks.
Except when I was in Target the other day picking up some more of the night lotion, everything was on clearance and didn’t look like it was being restocked.
“Oh no, please don’t tell me they’re not going to carry this anymore.” (I’ve seen those same signs –the clearance and not restocking– happen before with other products I love.)
Gulp!
But before I panicked I checked Neutrogena’s site. They’re still making it. I might just have to find a new place to buy it.
Face Masks
However, I think it was O, The Oprah Magazine that I read with an article about face masks that will also even out skin tone. Specifically masks made with clay and seaweed.
So I’ve also kept my eyes peeled for those. (No pun intended.)
We have a place called The Cosmetic Market here in Nashville where I found a clay mask made by Caudalie. It has a very nice texture and smells great…but it’s $40 for a little tube.
Bath & Body Works had one in their Aquatanica Spa line for $25, but I found out about it too late. They’ve discontinued it. I never got to try it.
But then I came across Kanwa Minerals. They sell four ounce jars of clay face masks for $12.99. It doesn’t smell as nice as Caudalie’s but I like the way it feels better when it dries. (Gets really tight and feels like it’s really working.)
Between my Neutrogena regime and the face masks, I’ve pretty much got my splotchy, uneven skin tone under control now.
Courtney Mroch also writes in Pets and Marriage. For a full listing of her articles click here.
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