Covid 19 has left us unable to leave the country for work or leisure. We also want to avoid exercising indoors. This has led to a new appreciation of the great outdoors in Singapore with the resultant increased sun exposure. How do we do this safely?
The common wisdom is to exercise in the early mornings and evenings- a good rule is to exercise when your shadow is longer than you are. Also, sunblocks of SPF 50 or more are advisable- wear them as a routine. Physical sunblocks are increasingly preferred. Finally, wear a (stylish) broad brimmed hat.
Other methods of reducing pigmentation include cosmeceuticals and high potency vitamin C formulations. In some, added AHA helps also with rejuvenation and lightening of sunspots. Tranexamic acid oral tablets have been used off label for their skin lightening effect for some years but I was never comfortable with this. This is because the oral medication could promote unwanted blood clotting- this is, after all, its original indication. However, new topical tranexamic acid cosmetics such as Fairence T- Complex are now available.
If the pigmentation is resistant to treatment with lightening agents, we will progress to laser treatments using the DEKA Smartxide CO2 laser or Fotona Starwalker picosecond NdYAG laser. Happily with Covid 19, working from home (WFH) and mask wearing allows us to do these procedures with less or no time off.
