image:C.Hope for Style Wylde
First off, I have a terrible confession, one which will definitely cause my derm to yell at me. (Dr. Dunn hope you aren't reading this! If so... I know, I know it's bad stop frowning at me.) This summer I have been super bad about the sun. Oh I've been fine with my face, because I am deathly afraid of wrinkles, freckles, and skin cancer and that is the only part of my skin that is susceptible to ailments, right?
WRONG. Very, very wrong. While I've been religiously slathering zinc-based sunscreens on my face and donning a hat in the sun, I have left my arms, legs and hands unprotected.
OHHHH MY HANDS! Back in March they were the smooth, spot free hands of a young woman, but by mid July they were dry, wrinkled and heinously sun-spotted. OHHH the sun spots! We aren't talking about that cute childlike smattering of dots across your nose, we are talking about large, flat splotches that look a heck of a lot like what your grandma called 'liver spots'; and I got them on the back of my hands.
Completely freaked out by these livery spots I headed to the derm to ask for help. After a few minutes of scowling and examining me through a giant magnifying glass, the doctor started throwing around phrases like "a series of low-dose lasers", "a prescription for a $200 an ounce cream", "chemical peels" and "more aggressive cosmetic treatments if necessary." This treatment plan had me more than a little depressed because, as much as I like the idea of pointing lasers at myself whenever possible, and peeling off several layers of skin in the name of beauty sounds fun, my financial situation prohibits these types of behaviors.
So what's a small budgeted but big spotted girl to do? Head to the nearest drugstore and try to find an OTC cure that won't break the bank of course! Enter Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Clinical Overnight Peel. Truth be told I've used a lot of Garnier products over the years. For the most part I find they offer a lot of quality for a great price. Some stand outs that still dominate my daily regime are the Anti-Sun Damage daily moisturizing cream, and the blogger-beloved Miracle skin perfector BB Cream; so the Garnier aisle of my local drugstore was my first stop.
The product, which is actually intended for your face not hands, is supposed to be used every night until spots fade. But as skin tends to be a lot less oily, and a lot more fragile on the back of hands vs. the face (Thanks Dr. Dunn for warning me about that!) I started using it twice a week. At first I wasn't sure anything was actually happening to my spots, but after about 3 weeks (or 6 applications) the shift became super noticeable.
The majority of the sun spots are now completely gone, with only the most microscopic dots left behind. My skin is smooth, soft and decidedly more even in tone, and for an extra bonus an old scar from a sipping bourbon while baking with bourbon accident has been totally vanquished.
In general I tend to be pretty dubious about products that use marketing terms like "Clinical", and "Professional Grade" in their descriptions, but due to the overwhelming effectiveness of Garnier's Skin Renewal Dark Spot Clinical Overnight Peel, I think the clinical is warranted. And I am sure next time I see her, Dr. Dunn will agree.
Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Clincical Overnight Peel retails for just under $20 at drugstores nationwide.
ED note: It should go without saying, but just to be sure, we want our readers to know that the Style Wylde beauty team strongly recommends that everyone use a good high-quality zinc-based sunscreen anytime they are going to be in the sun!