Skin whitening and lightening is something many Asian people are looking to achieve, not because of any desire to look Caucasian, but to help with uneven skin tone or freckles caused by UV rays from the sun stimulating the production of melanin and resulting in dark patches.
Whilst there is a vast array of skin whitening products on the market, no one brand will achieve the desired results for every person as we are all individual, so there is an element of experimentation involved.
Many factors influence whitening, however, there is one factor that applies to everyone and should be built into your skin lightening regime and that is hydration.
Hydration is the foundation of skin care. If your skin is not hydrated, you can't provide it with any more nutrients. The products you apply with nutrients required for whitening, firming or anti oxidation will just not be able to absorbed. Achieving these effects depends on having hydrated skin before products are applied.
So the first element in any person's skin care routine should be hydration regardless of age, whether you are a man or a woman, or the complexion you have. (Even oily skin requires you to focus on hydrating the skin).
People with combination to oily skin, may not want to use a lot of product on their face, but it's not necessary to use a heavy cream to achieve results, hydration can be achieved using very light textured products.
Our bodies naturally produce a chemical called hyaluronic acid which helps the skin retain moisture. When selecting a product, look for hyaluronic acid in the ingredients. When applied, it penetrates the skin really well and has the effect of plumping the skin cells.
If you are worried about layering products, which might make your skin feel sticky, rest assured. Serums that contain a high concentration of hyaluronic acid have a really light texture which is absorbed into the skin almost instantly.