<p>^ Great news! But, how do we know which <em>one</em> to use? Could you switch to one product per side of the face and report back? :)</p>
<p>This thread is great!</p>
<p>I should have my braces off by mid-October and I think I am going to order the “steamer” and the mask. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive. I have to wait until the braces are off, my bedtime routine of using various tools on my teeth takes forever. If I add one more thing, DH will wonder WHAT am I doing!</p>
<p>I have melasma AND vitiligo! Oh well…beats skin cancer.</p>
<p>I also have the brown blotches on my face, which are more prominent after the summer despite using 50+ SPF sun block every day! I have tried the Clinique line for as long as 3 weeks with no real noticeable improvement. I may try the plastic surgeon next for thr fraxel laser. My dermatologist recommends that I go to a plastic surgeon for this, not a dermatologist!</p>
<p>*I bought both the Ambi cream and the Ponds Clarant cream. Since I’m impatient, I applied in the morning, couple of times mid-day, and at night. *</p>
<p>Since I started with the Ambi cream first (took longer to find the Ponds cream…ended up using Amazon), I’m thinking that the Ambi cream may be the one that works faster. Or, maybe it was the addition of the Ponds cream that gave the “oomph” for the results.</p>
<p>I think the Ambi cream works by slowly breaking down the pigment. Not sure how the Ponds cream works. </p>
<p>I think the best strategy is to target the dark spots with Ambi (use it like zit cream and put dab right on the spot). And later use the Ponds cream “all over” the targeted area…face, hands, etc. </p>
<p>BTW…the Ponds’ scent is very mild…not enough to bother anyone except maybe those who are the most sensitive to any scent. </p>
<p>The Ambi cream contains that hydroquinine, the Ponds does not. Since together their cost is less than $20, it’s not a pain in the wallet to buy both.</p>
<p>Somewhat of a related question - I have these very dark circles under my eyes. And they are present all the time - no matter how much sleep I’ve gotten the previous night. Doc says that this must be genetic and I could go see a dermatologist if I really wanted to. Does anyone know if there’s any product that would help lighten these circles? Would the Ponds or the Ambi cream work for these as well?</p>
<p>There are two nice products from Bare Essentials. I use their eye cream at night and in the morning as well as their dark circle corrector that is a wand.</p>
<p>I paid $80 for tiny amount that was barely smeared on the bottom of container. The spots came back after they faded somewhat. I will live with spots, I will not try any more, and I do not care enough to pay that much.
“smart” about sun protection is not very smart. We need to be on a sun for some time to get enough vitamin D. Many people have it too low and low levels cause various cancers and of course, our favorite osteoporosis. So, it is all a blancing act as usual. However, if you are on a sun for some time and your skin is not protected, you will have spots, they will come back no matter how much you have faded them.</p>
<p>I have seen a huge difference in the brown spots on my hands with the ponds, so for $15ish for 2 jars it is worth it to me. It is also getting me in the habit of moisturizing my hands and arms every day which is good as my arms were pretty dry and awful and the light in my house is poor enough that I would often not realize how bad they looked until I was out in public (you know that ad for some lotion where it shows an alligator - kind of like that).</p>
<p>Still haven’t tried it on my face as I am still wary of aggravating my rosacea. Don’t have the bad brown spots on my face anyway.</p>
<p>Just a reminder to keep using the SPF. My 89 year old Mum had some biopsies this week on her face and they suspect skin cancer (one lesion is large and we are concerned about how she will handle any needed treatment as she has declined a lot physically and mentally after breaking her hip this year). She has never been a sunbather and has always taken good care of her skin, but lived in some hot climates such as Africa. Use that SPF.</p>
<p>Swimcat…glad you earlier mentioned the 2 jar bargain from Amazon. When I couldn’t find it at any of the local drugstores, Targets, etc, I ordered it from Amazon. Really a great price for 2 jars. </p>
<p>I think I’m going to start using it on my upper chest area. That area does have some sun damage from those naughty teen years of tanning with baby oil. 
I’ve been using Bio-oil there, but I think the Ponds would be better…or maybe use both.</p>
<p>An update - I bought the ambi cream and ponds from Amazon for the good prices about 3 weeks ago. I started using both, but that only lasted a few days and ended up just using the Ambi twice a day, just on my hands. I couldn’t tell if some of the spots on my hands were age spots or just freckles, but nevertheless, all have indeed faded.</p>