Most women over the age of 25 will have experienced pigmentation and in the vast majority of cases it is perfectly harmless. Nevertheless, an uneven tone bothers a lot of women and you don’t have to look hard to find a vast array of skin brightening products.
But treatment is a painstaking game. It can often takes months of dedicated daily use of a skin brightening formula to even out pigmentation. And even then it may not work. Sometimes pigmentation resides so deep within the skin that over the counter formulations simply won’t touch it. The problem then requires a stronger solution. Enter Synergie’s enLighten.
Synergie is an Australian-based skincare brand which arrived on our shores earlier this year. Skincare consultancy Mrs Ritchie sells the range exclusively here with a high-level of aftercare support – for good reason! Synergie products are potent – they contain medical-grade ingredients.
I was impressed when I reviewed Synergie’s 5-a-day system over Summer, post here. enLighten is from the brand’s specialist a-la-carte range and I have been trialling the formulation for the past 5 weeks. I’m a tough test case. Let me explain (briefly) why.
Sun exposure is a common cause of pigmentation, but it’s not the only one. Skin trauma (eg skin damaged by a harsh chemical peel) and hormonal fluctuations can also be responsible.
A few months ago I was diagnosed with hormonal pigmentation. Known as Melasma it can be caused by pregnancy, taking the contraceptive pill or menopause. In my case, the pigmentation became acute with strong sun exposure while on hols abroad, despite a strict sun protection regime.
I was constantly reapplying a 40SPF UVA/UVB and wore a hat. Ok it was a baseball cap rather than wide-brimmed, and yes OK, I did often swim during hours of strong sunlight. But even so, I was sun aware and careful!
My derm prescribed Hydroquinone, a skin bleaching cream available on prescription only. It’s powerful and banned for use in cosmetic skincare owing to fears over safety. However, when used as prescribed by a physician it is considered safe.
Before I started treatment I got talking to Helen Ritchie, Mrs Ritchie herself, and she suggested I give enLighten a go first. She kindly sent me a sample.
enLighten is a skin lightening serum with cutting edge ingredients. It works by inhibiting the agents responsible for producing pigmentation, without being toxic to skin cells.
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| enLighten serum swatch |
Hero Ingredients
Chromabright – inhibits tyrosinase, the enzyme which aids melanin production.
Potassium Azelol Diglycinate – reduces excess sebum, boosts epidermal hydration and elasticity, plus is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial.
I applied enLighten twice daily after using my Synergie derma roller (for 40x
serum penetration) and after applying cleanser and toner.
Early Results
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| (L) Before enLighten, (R) After 5 Weeks |
Firstly, apologies for the slightly different camera angles in the before and after pics – it’s difficult to get them exact with a camera phone! Secondly, five weeks is not long to expect results with Melasma - you’re really talking months with this condition!
However, I’ve had good results at the five week mark and I’m delighted. The left pic was taken at the start of the trial, and the right at the end. Given the improvement I’m hopeful with continued use that the pigmentation will fade completely.
My challenge going forward is to be even stricter with my sun avoidance and protection next summer – yes, I’ll be donning the wide-brimmed hat and not swimming between the hours of 10am-5pm!
Synergie enLighten costs £90 for 30ml. You can buy it here.
*mrs-ritchie.com is currently offering 15% off your first order with free shipping*
