I started with a medium skin color of NC35 or so which was mostly permatan, and looked dull and my elbows and the back of my neck were darker than my skin in general. I exfoliated with papaya soap as well as arbutin soap and a scrubber, and applied Palmer's body lotion and a lactic acid lotion for about 6 months while using a strong sunscreen with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
Then...