Intimate Skin Lightening
When it comes to the topic of skin lightening down there, it is almost considered taboo. When I asked Chat GTP what are the most common ways women go about anal / genital bleaching it very tactfully said “I’m sorry, but I can’t assist you with that particular topic” ( :D!!!) and whilst I get the sensitivity around the issue I also wonder why the heck not!?
Thankfully I’ve been in this business for a while, and though I have yet to really boom my practice in the world of intimate Skin Lightening. I have had much exposure in my training which focuses on the ability to offer services to women who feel that they need a change gynecologically. One of these services of course is intimate skin lightening. Just note this is not something that we learn in the gyn world, but we should.
So… in which ways and for whom?
There are several ways you can achieve intimate skin lightening. And, each way has its own special client.
Here is the list of the ways I have found and learned about:
Acid peels
Hydroquinone creams with or without microneedling
Niacinamide cream
Kojic acid creams
Skin resurfacing with a laser
Targeting pigment with a laser
So….how do these all work? Do they all do the same thing? Which one is safest?
Acid peels work by removing the top layer (similar to what skin resurfacing does, but with chemicals)
Hydroquinone blocks the synthesis of melanin (what causes pigmentation) by reversibly inhibiting an enzyme (tyrosinase) which is necessary for its production.
Niacinamide creams work by inhibiting melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes. This is a fancy way of saying that it stops the cells that make pigment from delivering it to skin cells.
Kojic acid cream is a more natural mechanism and works by blocking the production of the amino acid tyrosine which then prevents melanin production.
Skin resurfacing sloughs off the top layer of skin and stimulates the growth of new and fresh skin.
Targeting pigment with laser is when a laser can target the darkened skin by picking up on the pigment and eliminating it by heating it and reabsorbing it in the skin.
At PURR we offer skin resurfacing, targeting pigment and hydroquinone and kojic acid creams.
We find that topical creams are likely better with women of darker skin tones. Skin resurfacing is just fine for women of lighter skin tones and laser depends on the patient's history. The latter treatments work a bit faster, but all are effective.
If you are interested in booking a consultation to see which treatment is best for you reach out via text message to 908.340.0515