21. The Bright Side
21. The Bright Side
Pigment-fighting heroes, more dupes, and discounts at some fave treatment locations.
The sunny days of summer might be behind us, but for many, those golden hours left behind an uninvited guest: hyperpigmentation. From lingering blemish spots to patchy skin tone, pigmentation concerns often need a little extra help to fade after months of sunshine. Fortunately, fall is the perfect season to tackle these spots with the latest laser facials, cutting-edge light therapy, and the skincare holy grails that promise to give your skin a fresh start. Here’s everything you need to know to get back right.
The Treatments:
● Laser Facials Are Your Spot-Removal Secret Weapon
If hyperpigmentation were a character, lasers would be its arch-nemesis. Using concentrated beams of light energy, laser facials zero in on areas of pigmentation, breaking up melanin clusters and leaving skin clearer and smoother with minimal downtime. For those ready to invest in professional-grade skin renewal, options like the Fractional (not Fraxel) laser are popular for gental, melanin-friendly, resurfacing and brightening while minimizing fine lines.
For a quick fix, Skin Laundry’s Signature Laser Facial is a go-to. This treatment combines a gentle YAG laser to deeply cleanse and target pigmentation and a cooling IPL treatment for a clear, bright complexion. It’s ideal for those seeking to fade dark spots, texture, and tone.
Next, the Clear + Brilliant laser facial at Ever/Body is a gentle treatment that refreshes the skin by targeting early signs of aging and pigmentation. Often called a "mini Fraxel," it uses fractional laser technology to create microscopic treatment zones, promoting new, smoother, and more even skin.
*This goes without saying, but always consult a skin expert to find the best laser for your tone and texture.
● Red Light Therapy Is the Low-Key Glow-Up
When it comes to at-home options, red light therapy is a must-have in every beauty arsenal. This calming therapy uses gentle, non-invasive red light waves to stimulate cell regeneration and soothe inflammation, which can be a game-changer for fading pigmentation over time. Best of all, you can reap the benefits from home with a red light device, whether you’re masking up with LED or an RLT lamp. My fave is the Dermay Derma Mask. Anyone who knows me knows I will never stop raving about this mask. I use it after applying actives to help them penetrate deeper, and I notice a difference when I don’t. It provides dual Infrared Light in combination with seven different color options, each specifically intended to produce quality improvements for various skin issues.
Pro Tip: Use it three times a week post-cleansing to supercharge your skincare products.
● VI Peel, IYKYK
Ready to level up? Enter the VI Peel, a potent cocktail of acids including TCA and retinoic acid, which sloughs off dead skin cells, brings fresh skin to the surface, and reduces dark spots in a single session. Think of it as the fast track to a smoother, more even-toned complexion. The VI Peel is perfect for post-summer skin because it’s effective yet gentle, making it suitable for various skin tones and minimizing the risks of irritation.
A series of three or four treatments spaced about 4-6 weeks apart is typically ideal for the best results. And don’t worry—there’s little downtime.
As a subscriber, you get $100 off your first treatment or package purchase.
● At-Home Peels and the Dupes We Love
If TikTok’s taught us anything, it’s that we can find high-performance skincare secrets without a splurge. And once again, skincare influencer NinaGhoulina drops a gem of a dupe. This time for the pricey cult-favorite Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel. Enter: Hero Cosmetics Lightening Swipe Pads and the Retinol Nighttime Renewal Cream.
These two products combine powerful ingredients similar to the Dr. Dennis Gross peel, a longtime favorite for its skin-brightening and refining effects. The Lightening Swipe Pads use glycolic and lactic acids (AHAs), delivering the same gentle yet effective exfoliation for smoother, more luminous skin. Just like in the OG peel, AHAs here work to sweep away dead skin cells, revealing brighter skin underneath.
Pairing this with Retinol Nighttime Renewal Cream gives your routine a powerhouse retinoid boost, targeting fine lines and discoloration with overnight cell turnover. This retinol element is crucial—it’s similar to the Dr. Dennis Gross peel’s formulation, which helps smooth texture and fade hyperpigmentation over time.
Other Brands To Consider
When it comes to treating hyperpigmentation, niacinamide is a powerhouse for evening skin tone and reducing inflammation, and it’s the common ingredient among these three standout products. But what sets each apart are the additional active ingredients targeting pigmentation in unique ways.
➛ Eadem Milk Marvel uses vitamin C for antioxidant protection and radiance-boosting, helping to fade dark spots while preventing new ones.
➛ Topicals Faded Serum incorporates tranexamic acid for brightening and reducing the appearance of melasma and stubborn dark spots.
➛ Hyper Skin Fade & Glow AHA Mask focuses on AHAs to exfoliate and smooth texture, speeding up cell turnover to reveal fresher, more even skin underneath.
This Substack is free, the recommendations are genuine, and I may receive a commission on purchases from some of the linked and pinned favorites above.