Best Creams for Freckles: Achieve Clear and Even Skin Tone

The best way to avoid freckles is proper prevention. As long as you can keep your skin away from direct sunlight, you are at very low risk of freckles. Apart from this, you can also use some good creams like fading cream or retinoid creams to get rid of freckles. Let's know in detail about freckle removal creams.

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Fading cream, also known as bleaching cream, can be easily found without a doctor's prescription. Many fading creams contain an ingredient called hydroquinone, which helps reduce the production of melanin and lighten the blackness of the skin.

When used continuously for a few months, these types of creams can prove to be very helpful in lightening freckles. To get the full benefit of this type of cream, it is important that you stay away from the sun and keep using sunscreen etc. to protect yourself from the sun.

Using topical fading cream or hydroquinone cream can also cause some side-effects. Such as -

• Burning
• Blistering on the skin
• Swelling
• Dryness
• Discoloration of the skin

So when you use it for the first time, do a patch test.

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Retinoid cream is a vitamin-A-rich compound that helps in repairing sunburned skin and lightening freckles. Retinoids provide photoprotection to the skin by absorbing ultraviolet-B radiation. This helps in preventing the formation of new freckles.

Retinoic acid 0.025%-0.1%, tazarotene 0.5%-0.1%, adapalene 0.1%-0.3%, Differin gel and tretinoin gel are some retinoid creams and gels that can reduce freckles to a great extent when used for several months in conjunction with other bleaching creams. Tretinoin gel should not be used during pregnancy. Retinoid creams can be obtained over-the-counter with or without a prescription from a doctor. Some of its common side effects are:

• Skin irritation
• Skin redness
• Skin peeling
• Dryness
• Sensitivity

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Topical therapy (i.e. creams used on the skin) prevents the formation of melanin using tyrosinase inhibitors, which helps in preventing freckles. Tyrosinase inhibitors and other types of supportive agents are as follows:

• Tranexamic Acid: You can get it in the market in the form of cream, injection and oral medicine.
• Methimazole: Methimazole is an antithyroid cream that helps with melasma.
• Azelaic acid (15%-20% Azelex, Finacea): This cream, lotion or gel is applied twice a day. Pregnant women can also use it without hesitation.
• Hydrocortisone: Hydrocortisone is very effective in lightening the discoloration caused by melasma.
• Topical alpha hydroxy acid: This is a type of chemical peel that removes the skin surface.
• Soybean extract: Soybean extract is considered helpful in preventing discoloration of the skin.
• Cysteamine: In a study, cysteamine cream was found to be very effective in treating freckles.
• Sunscreen: The use of sunscreen does not get rid of existing freckles, but it prevents the formation of new freckles. The SPF of the sunscreen should be 30 or more.

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Freckles are quite common and harmless, yet many people want to get rid of them for cosmetic reasons. Aggressive treatments like laser therapy and chemical peels are more effective than creams, but they can have serious side effects. It is important to consult your dermatologist to get rid of freckles so that you can get information about the best method for your skin. On the advice of your doctor, you can get a better skin in just a few months by using topical therapy or topical retinoid creams. But keep in mind that no matter which cream you use, it is very important to protect the skin from the sun.