BlinkD

The SkinMedica Even and Correct Product Line Is Erasing My Dark Spots

After spending over a decade of my early twenties to thirties on the beaches of Southern California — and also struggling with acne for the first 30 years of my life — discoloration is one of my biggest concerns in regard to skincare. While lasers are the go-to clinical treatment for unwanted dark spots, I have yet to invest thousands of dollars on in-office treatments. However, I recently added SkinMedica’s Even and Correct products to my skincare regimen, and thanks to the amazing results, I may not need to.  

Leave it to Allergan, the powerhouse pharmaceutical company behind Botox and Juvederm, to formulate the perfect product line for dark spots, age spots, and other discoloration concerns. The brand’s Advanced Brightening Treatment, Dark Spot Cream, and Brightening Treatment Pads hit shelves at dermatologists’ offices and online in late January. I was sent all three products to test out earlier in the month, and after using them for a little over four weeks, I can honestly attest to the fact that my skin has never looked as clear. 

Dermstore

Shop now: $60; dermstore.com

Here is how I have been using them. At night, after washing my face with the AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, (another one of the brand’s products I use religiously), I start with the Brightening Treatment Pads, which are thin pads pre-soaked with an alcohol-free exfoliating solution; they’re formulated with brightening favorites like glycolic acid, tranexamic acid, and niacinamide. After my skin dries, I apply the Advanced Brightening Treatment, a serum loaded with similar ingredients as well as botanical antioxidants, all over my face. Then I spot treat dark areas with the Dark Spot Cream, which features 0.25 percent retinol, targeting the most pronounced skin stains. 

Dermstore

Shop now: $88; dermstore.com

Dermstore

Shop now: $178; dermstore.com

While most of the brand’s trials have the majority of people attesting to results at week 8, I started noticing a difference after the first week, looking brighter and more even. (According to clinical trials, people who used all three products started seeing results as early as the one-week mark.) After a few weeks, one of my most stubborn acne scars slightly lightened, and I’m hoping that after another month will be gone completely. I should also note that I experienced zero irritation from any of the products.

Since the products are so new, reviews are just starting to trickle in, but the response so far has been positive. “Only used a few times and the hyperpigmentation from acne has dissipated by about 70 percent,” wrote one reviewer on Lovely Skin about the serum. “I couldn’t believe it. Looks like it will become a staple product for me.”

One of the things I love most about SkinMedica’s products? There is actual science backing up the results. While the products tend to be on the pricier side, at least you can be assured that they actually work. And, compared to lasers, injections, and other in-office treatments, they are a bargain. An added bonus? Currently, Dermstore is running a promo on the brand — with the purchase of $200 worth of products, you will receive a SkinMedica Brightening Essentials Gift Set (which is a $130 value). 

So, what are you waiting for? Snatch up my brightening faves before they sell out.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qrrSrbClnV6YvK570qSgp6WVmbakrYyerZ6mXZa7pXnCqKmrnZOpeqO%2ByKCfrZ2enruoec%2Brpp2tk6nAbr7Er6Cer11sfnGDmHBn

Almeda Bohannan

Update: 2024-05-09