The Best Possible Dark Spot Remover... Is Also the Cheapest.

I'm only in my 20s -- but I've spent a lot of time in the sun. As a child, my mom used to yank me out of school for a month each winter so we could travel in Hawaii. As an adult, I've spent at least a month or more each year near the equator.

This year, I returned from a several-week vacation to Costa Rica and Panama... with an unfortunate brown spot under my eye. It made me sad -- I'm still in my freaking 20s! Plus, it made it look like I had a shiner in all my photos.

I'm not someone who usually spends much on cosmetics, but I did want to get rid of this dark spot -- and I figured the sooner, the better. 

But I didn't want to waste money on a product that didn't work. After doing a ton of research on what dark spots are (basically, skin contains a brown pigment called melanin; dark spots occur when an excess of melanin forms deposits in the skin) and how to get rid of them, I learned that

the active ingredient you want is hydroquinone. 

It has been proven effective -- it's actually, apparently, how Michael Jackson got his "bleached" look. 

And it's the only ingredient recognized as a “lightening agent” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA.)

Meaning it's both effective and safe. 

So when you're looking for a dark spot remover, you want one with 2% hydroquinone.

BUT.

You want a product that only contains ingredients approved by the FDA -- many lightening agents contain mercury, which has several nasty side effects, and steroids, which can cause weird reproductive issues.

That is why I bought -- and highly recommend -- Porcelana Dark Spot Corrector plus Sunscreen. It costs between $4-$10 for a 3 oz. bottle, and that will last you years. 

I've been using it once or twice per day for about two months, and my dark spot is completely gone.

​Moreover, Porcelena only contains FDA-approved ingredients. According to their website and Amazon reviews, it also fades freckles, acne scars and other skin blemishes. 

I'm white, so this product worked better and faster on me than it would on people with darker skin tones -- according to the website, the lighter your skin, the faster you'll see results.  

It absolutely worked for me -- and it only set me back $5. It's pretty crazy that there are $50, $100, and even more expensive products you can buy that contain either the same (legally, over-the-counter products can't have more that 2% hydroquinone, so if someone tells you their product contains more, they're either lying, or selling something that might not be safe) or less of the active ingredient. 

Other products may help -- vitamin A and retinol have shown to be somewhat effective, since they increase cell turnover. But, again, they are not classified as "bleaching agents" by the FDA.

That said, the best thing you can possibly do is just prevent brown spots in the first place. Wear sunscreen every single day -- whether you're windsurfing in Bonaire or hanging out indoors on a cloudy winter day. Put it on your face -- but don't forget your neck, and any part of your chest that will be exposed to UV rays.

I use Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Moisturizer with SPF 30. It's light, it doesn't smell, and one small bottle lasts a long time. It's great for everyday use -- but is obviously not enough for spending long hours in the sun, when sweat, towels and sea water may be involved.

I hope Porcelena works as well for you as it did for me.