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KIM wrote:Hi terracotta,


welcome to the board. I am from the Uk too !!! Is there a a reason why you do not want to try the retin a from adc? Have you tried it before? I get mine from there as well as from reliable rx which basically sends it from the same place but at a cheaper shipping rate. I have not tried retin a from anywhere else so cannot compare. I am in touch with someone on line who says that the hq from adc and reliable is not as effective as the type you would get form a dermatolgist but again I have not tried that to compare. Some seem to have success with it and I read that some do not seem to see much of a diiference but have better results with something like nadinola which is only 3%. I am cuurrently just starting obagi which did cost me a fair bit but I am sure there has been some lightening already. I guess you get what you pay for.


I must stress the importance of sunblock and sun avoidance in order to keep up your results. hq ad ra and SUN do not agree and = darkening. Also I understand that it is generally advised that 4% is all that is needed for lightening and anything more is mot really necessary. You sound like you are fairly light already so do not need a really aggressive approach like somone who may be super dark.

So you do not recommend the hq from adc? I have not started using mine yet as I still have a few jars of nadinola left over from when I used it last. I only bought a couple of tubes but want to know what I should use instead. Beacuse I am dark I think I might need more than the amount of hq in nadinola so thought the 4% would be ideal

It sounds like it works for some and maybe not so much for others. I have tried it but am constantly alternating products it would be difficult to say what works best

quiamontana wrote:

KIM wrote:Hi terracotta,


welcome to the board. I am from the Uk too !!! Is there a a reason why you do not want to try the retin a from adc? Have you tried it before? I get mine from there as well as from reliable rx which basically sends it from the same place but at a cheaper shipping rate. I have not tried retin a from anywhere else so cannot compare. I am in touch with someone on line who says that the hq from adc and reliable is not as effective as the type you would get form a dermatolgist but again I have not tried that to compare. Some seem to have success with it and I read that some do not seem to see much of a diiference but have better results with something like nadinola which is only 3%. I am cuurrently just starting obagi which did cost me a fair bit but I am sure there has been some lightening already. I guess you get what you pay for.


I must stress the importance of sunblock and sun avoidance in order to keep up your results. hq ad ra and SUN do not agree and = darkening. Also I understand that it is generally advised that 4% is all that is needed for lightening and anything more is mot really necessary. You sound like you are fairly light already so do not need a really aggressive approach like somone who may be super dark.

So you do not recommend the hq from adc? I have not started using mine yet as I still have a few jars of nadinola left over from when I used it last. I only bought a couple of tubes but want to know what I should use instead. Beacuse I am dark I think I might need more than the amount of hq in nadinola so thought the 4% would be ideal

I cannot say that I would not recommend it as I have not tried it out myself. It is just that someone told me that she saw nothing when she tried the adc hq and then when her derm prescribed 4% hq she saw a dramatic change and is over the moon. However there do seem to be people who are happy with it, so now you have it already you may as well see how it works. Unfortunately the non generic versions are not cheap and are hard to get for me in the UK. I was actually surprised I was able to get obagi without having to see a dermatologist.

suppose you are right and I should try it anyway. It does not make sense to waste it. I am glad I did not buy too much now

NO harm in trying. If you can find a cheaper alternative source that works for you then that's great. This is why so many opted for places like allday chemist and reliable rx because the other options were very expensive. Some have also chosen to compound it themseves but I would say this should only be attempted once you know exacty what you are doing

quiamontana wrote:suppose you are right and I should try it anyway. It does not make sense to waste it. I am glad I did not buy too much now

It is good you are still going to try it. You may be one of the lucky ones for whom it works. Like you said you didn't buy a lot so you can move on if it is not as effective as you want.

GOTHQUEEN wrote:NO harm in trgainst it in case I blew up my kitchen or somethig LOLying. If you can find a cheaper alternative source that works for you then that's great. This is why so many opted for places like allday chemist and reliable rx because the other options were very expensive. Some have also chosen to compound it themseves but I would say this should only be attempted once you know exacty what you are doing

You have just reminded me when I was considering making my own hq a while back and thought against it in case I blew up the kitchen or something LOL

Well I am glad that you decided not to go ahead with the experiment !!! We actually like having you here LOL

Hello beautiful people Desiree here! I am on a quest for self improvement and am hoping to learn on how i can look my best as well as make like minded pals. Hoping i could bond with y'all :-D

Hi~
I found this website because i am looking for the Enzyme Gel that goes hand in hand with "the oxygen peel" which i bought separately on Ebay. Unfortunately i found out after i received the product that there is another step in the process. Good thing i read the instructions...
so my question is this: is the Enzyme Gel sold separately?

Desiree wrote:Hello beautiful people Desiree here! I am on a quest for self improvement and am hoping to learn on how i can look my best as well as make like minded pals. Hoping i could bond with y'all :-D

Hello Desiree, welcome to TSP !!!

Catgaladriel wrote:Hi~
I found this website because i am looking for the Enzyme Gel that goes hand in hand with "the oxygen peel" which i bought separately on Ebay. Unfortunately i found out after i received the product that there is another step in the process. Good thing i read the instructions...
so my question is this: is the Enzyme Gel sold separately?

Welcome to the board. I am not sure what product you are talking about. What is it for?

Nice to meet you Desiree and catgaladriel

Welcome.NOt so much of a newbie myself any more

Hi to all the newbies and to the not so new newbies !!! LOL

Hi all,

I'm Lilikoi (sorry no avatar, haven't figured that part out yet)
I originally began my journey to erase my severe dark circle but slowly got addicted to the lightening process and am still in the beginning stages.

My original color was that of Ananda Lewis and is now like like Toni Braxton. My dark circles were the color of Whoopi GOldberg's overall complexion and after some facial lightening (via pills) lips were still dark like President Obama's. Now they're a little darker than Tyra Banks's lips.

I've been doing this for 7 wks now with success:

1.)500 mg pills glutathione 3x's daily - Now w/ milk thistle & alpha lipoic
2.)Sublingual glutathione spray gel 5x's daily - Whitelight (from Phillipines)
3.)Vitamin C 100mg 3x's daily
4.)Papaya soap - Likas
5.)Se Quiiso cream (dark circle and glasses marks on side of nose)- Fair and Flawless

Face looks good, no more raccoon eyes and no need for concealer anymore. Happy so far and just started 40% Lactic peel for body. Legs got lighter a bit but I did have many years of permatan due to trying to even out the rest of my body to match the dark circles.Now on to phase 2,hoping to learn new ways to get my body much lighter safely like an Aliica Keys color if possible.

Grateful for sites like this and all your contributions.Any advice would be appreciated

Welcome to the board Lilikoi. It looks like you have worked out a regime that is working for you. There have been many people who say supplements have really helped them with their regime though sometimes it can be difficult to attribute the lightening to the pills when they are also applying a lightening agent so it is good that you have proved that it has not been necessary for you. please let us know how you progress. I have just seen a pic of Ananda Lewis and I see that you have made some great progress.

Big welcome Lilikoi and ALL members!!
I'm glad that you are finding success with your regimen and do keep us updated. May I ask which sunblock and spf do you use?

I use 100 spf by Banana Boat from Walgreens $12.99 I think.
Wasn't usng sunscreen until last week, just reclocated from NYC to Florida where its hot as blazes. I look strange walking the dog w/ grandma looking sun visors and sun hats with long sleeve shirts and shoes (no flipflops) but I literally saw a difference the minute I decided to save the tank tops for after sunset

Thanks everyone for sharing with me, together we'll get there

Don't worry about feeling a lil out of place by covering up. The smart people will have the last laugh when their skin is looking great in the years ahead. Sun damage is not a pretty look

welcome to the board Lilikoi

I'm a new member from the UK. The site looks great and you guys are very informative so I'm really excited to be here!

My personal goals are skin lightening about a shade or two on various parts of my body to even out my skin tone. My body looks like the United Colors of Benetton lately...my feet, forearms, stomach and thighs are a completely differ colour to each other and the rest of me (I love the beach way too much).
I must admit that I'm a little nervous about bleaching my skin as I'm a total newbie at it and I've also heard some serious horror stories about what can happen if you do it wrong. So, with that in mind, I am totally open to be advised and guided about how to begin my journey. Thanks so much for having me!
j30303:Dxx

Hi j30303, great to have you on board !! Great avatar BTW. I am sure you will find some useful info on here. My best advice to start anything would be to make sure you have a good sunblock. Once you start lightening your skin will defo need some. What have you tried so far or are you completely new to this. So long as you do not overdo anything & avoid products containing steroids & mercury etc you should be good to Go. Best of luck

Hi j30303 welcome on board. I know people say that in the uK the sun is not really an issue but I myself know that sun protection is a must, else you will incur sun damage just like you are seeing. In all honesty unless you are willing to commit yourself to avoiding the sun you may have real problems. Even if you avoid some of the more serious lighteners, most products contain AHA or retinoids for example and this can leave your skin even more sensitive to the sun and then you end up with even more problems than you had in the first place. rainbow is right that a good zinc oxide sunblock is a must, though this cannot be entirely relied upon and some covering up will be required. That said, wishing you all the best in your venture !!!

Thank you for the warm welcome and KIM & Rainbow!
@KIM & @Rainbow -I have taken your advice and purchased a bottle of Ambre Solaire SPF50 spray. I live in the south of England and it's been very sunny and hot here everyday since the beginning of March so I def know I need it.

@Rainbow -I haven't tried anything. I am a total skin lightning newbie. I am caramel light brown(Halle Berry's colour in some places and Beyonce in the others lol) which I love being but now my skin has become very uneven everywhere due to being out in the sun so much (I just love the beach) But it's really distressing to me that no parts of my body are matching now-I look like a bloody quilt naked...I feel so ugly right now.

Anyways, I have been researching a bit and have decided to try SCT's Ondine skin lightning method because it seems to work well for most people who were using it. So, I am going to start with .1% RA on my face, neck and chest and Carotein cream on the rest of my body to exfoliate off the sun damage. This will be in combination with weekly 40% lactic acid peels on the darker areas of my face and body. I am also committed to wear my sunblock every single time I leave the house.
How does this beginners regimen sound to you guys?