So I’ve had a fair few questions on this subject, more than enough to warrant a new post! An even skintone is important because, as I mentioned previously, it can make you look years younger even if you still retain the same amount of wrinkles.

• A lot of this has to do with light reflection. Plump, taught and even-toned skin reflects a lot more light than patchy skin with an uneven texture. All that light bouncing off the skin makes people look brighter and fresher. It’s that glow of youth people keep going on about.

• Biologically, a clear, even skintone is instantly associated with younger people who have incurred a minimal amount of sun damage. There have been several studies to suggest that an even skintone can alter our perception of another person’s age dramatically.

Even if you have a few wrinkles, a bright, even skintone can knock years off your appearance. In addition to that, most tone correcting routines like the one below double as fantastic anti-ageing routines too! I have a few more detailed posts on this already (which you can see scrolling on the homepage) but here are the fundamentals:

In the morning, use a skin tone correcting serum underneath a good sunscreen (at least SPF30 with UVA protection). There are lots of tone correcting serums on the market, my favourites include Dermaquest Skin Lightening Serum, NIA24 Skin Strengthening Concentrate and Kiehl’s Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate. For more affordable options, try the Avalon Organics Vitamin C Serum or Olay Regenerist Serum.

At night, apply your tone-correcting serum again and follow up with a moisturiser containing AHAs. These AHAs (or Alpha Hydroxy Acids), gently peel away the discoloured layers of skin and allow your tone-correcting serums to penetrate the skin further. Again, there are loads of AHA creams on the market – my favourites include the Alpha Hydrox Souflee and Paula’s Choice AHA gel.

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And that’s it! Be patient and your skin should begin to even out over the next few months. Remember, the most important thing is to use a good tone corrector as well as daily use of sunscreen to prevent the sun from undoing all of your work. Even when it’s cloudy, UVA rays (the ones that cause uneven skintone) are still damaging your skin and re-darkening those uneven patches.

To recap:

AM

Tone Correcting Serum

Sunscreen

PM

Tone Correcting Serum

AHA Cream

Hope that helps! For more recommendations on serums and sunscreens (as well as a lot more info) click here. You can also click on the labels above and search for relevant products under ‘product types’ and ‘skin issues’.