ActiFade Complete Age-Defying Skin Lightening System

I am in my mid fifties, and while I have a few age spots (and dark spots from melasma), I am starting to get more and more spots on the backs of my hands. My hands give away my age more than my face does, and I was willing to try a skin lightening cream to see if it would work to lighten these unsightly spots. I have tried some natural products that were supposed to lighten dark spots, but these did not work on melasma, (which is a hormone related conditin). I was excited when I read that ActiFade works on "pigment in the skin that may occur during pregnancy or from the use of oral contraceptives".

My local Walgreens store sells a product that claims to do just this. It's called ActiFade Complete Age-Defying Skin Lightening System, and the active ingredient is 1.5% hydroquinone.

ActiFade Complete Age-Defying Skin Lightening System claims to "actively fade skin discolorations", and the box says it will work on the hands, face, chest, arms and legs. This skin lightening product also says it will work on age spots, liver spots, blotches and freckles.

When I first heard about this product, I thought it was simply a jar of skin lightening cream, and while the jar does contain 2 ounces of a thin cream, it also contains three .20 ounce concealers.

The directions say to apply the cream twice a day, and to wait up to 20 minutes after you put it on before you use the ActiFace concealer. There are a few warnings on the product, such as to discontinue use if you have not seen any results in three months.

I have mixed feelings about recommending ActiFade Complete Age-Defying Skin Lightening System. First, I am a bit put off by the scent of the active ingredient, hydroquinone. It has an odd scent, and is not appealing but rather offensive to my senses. It also lingers on my skin for a very long time, making this a product I don't care to use at bed time.

It's not a thick cream, but it does go on smoothly and absorbs well. I like that the cream contains shea butter and glycerin for moisturizing properties, but it is also contains petroleum based ingredients as well. The added vitamin C is intended to work as an antiodixant to brighten the skin.

For those who have never used skin lightening products containing hydroquinone, you should not expect the skin to change over night. At least this has been my experience. The cream needs to be used twice a day, on a regular basis, and I have found that missing a few days can drastically reduce the chances of it working for me. My spots did get lighter, very gradually, but they are not gone. When I stopped using the hydroquinone cream, they returned. So I feel this is a product that I need to use on a daily basis, and I am a little uncomfortable doing so. The active ingredient, hydroquinone, has been banned in some European countries because they feel there is a link between it and skin cancer. Currently, it is not banned in the US.

Hydroquinone works by not allowing the skin to produce a pigment called melatin, which causes the brown spots. There are many skin lightening and bleaching products on the market that contain hydroquinone, in varying concentrations, some as high as 2%. In 2006, MedicineNet.com published an article on the possible dangers of hydroquinone, stating that the FDA was proposing a ban on it's use in the US.

To conclude, this product does work, slowly, but it worked for me. It is something that needs to be used on a daily basis, and I really don't care for the scent. At a price of nearly $40 for the small container, it's not a product I would purchase again.