Amazing Product - Europe

The weeks following the initial application have been about finding a balance in cosmelan 2 application. I have never been able to apply it 3 times a day because of the strong peeling effect it has. Sometimes even applying it twice a day results in an embarrassing bright red peeling face, so I've had to settle on once a day. Unfortunately my upper lip melasma never completely disappeared .. I'd say it finally settled down to about a 70% overall improvement. I've also been having concentrated breakouts of spots on certain areas of my face, which I think was in reaction to the treatment, but they finally seem to be settling down now. Overall I'm still very happy with the treatment but wish I could have followed the instructions more closely for an even better effect.

Hi all,
I tried to post a link to a diary I kept during my treatment process but I don't think we're allowed post links here .. so let me tell you the story of my cosmelan treatment a little more in detail.

I bought the Cosmelan Pack from a top rated ebay seller who had many positive reviews to ensure that I was getting the real thing. The item I bought was actually advertised as being ‘strong, like old formula’, but more importantly it was the hydroquinone-free version because I am not convinced that hydroquinone is completely safe. I waited till the end of summer to apply it, so as not to aggravate the problem with sun exposure. Here's how it went:


Day 0 - Cosmelan I Mask Day
I first cleansed my face with the provided degreasing solution, which smelled remarkably like nail polish remover. Then I applied the cream all over my face using my fingertips. I avoided the circles under my eyes and was careful not to get any on my lips, although I had to get pretty close because of my upper lip melasma. After I had got an even cover of cream all over my face up to my jaw line, I went back and added another layer over the areas where I have melasma, to make sure they get their fair share of treatment. After all that I thought the jar would be finished but I only ended up using about 3/4 of it, which is good because I can go over the problem areas again in three weeks time if the melasma hasn’t yet disappeared. Initially the cream was a light brown colour but over time it turned much darker as it dried. I left the mask on for 10 hours because I have phototype III skin (lighter skin types leave it on for 8 hours, while darker types leave it on for 12 hours). It seemed like an extremely long time but it didn’t burn or tingle or feel uncomfortable. I lazed around all day and eventually washed it off with my normal gentle face wash in the evening. My face initially appeared normal but within minutes had started to turn red and felt slightly tight, which looked and felt exactly like a sunburn. Not too severe, just like I had been at the beach all day without sunblock. I applied a layer of the provided moisturizer hyda-vital k, as well as cicaplast baume B5, and went to bed.


Day 1 Post Cosmelan
I woke up this morning still looking like I have a pretty bad sunburn but it isn’t painful. I had a few whiteheads develop overnight, mostly in the creases of my nose, but nothing worrying! I applied a small amount of Cosmelan II all over my face three times today and followed up 15 minutes later with the hydra-vital factor k moisturizer. The cream goes on smoothly and is easily absorbed. So far so good. No peeling as yet, but I’m expecting some tomorrow. I need to continue applying Cosmelan II three times a day for one month, then twice a day for the month after that, and then finally once a day thereafter for at least 6 months. My boyfriend is going to see me for the first time post treatment today and I hope he doesn’t think it looks too horrible. Otherwise I’m still on self-inflicted house arrest and I’ve taken 12 days off work for anticipated recovery time. I ordered a second tub of Cosmelan II today because I don’t think the first one is going to last very long with all this use.


Day 2 Post Cosmelan
So last night put on some foundation and I looked a good as new, just slightly tanned according to my boyfriend! Not entirely sure it was a good idea to put make-up over all that redness but it certainly made me feel better! Still pretty red today but the peeling has definitely started - it’s mainly around my nose and mouth at the moment. My face is also feeling tender and it’s slightly painful to put on the cosmelan II but persevering so far. I’m continuing to slap on lots of moisturizer after each application of the cream. Unfortunately I can still see all my areas of melasma under the redness so feeling slightly disappointed that they haven’t disappeared yet but I guess its early days!
Later on Day 2: Peeling peeling peeling everywhere ... Really hard to resist helping the peeling along with my fingers! And the really good news: one side of my upper lip melasma seems to have almost completely disappeared!! Its just as though it came off with the peel! So excited! The other side is still there unfortunately, but overall the skin underneath the areas that have peeled look great and there seems to be a reduction is the amount of blackheads on my nose too!


Day 3 Post Cosmelan
Ah finally some progress! My face is almost entirely peeled and the skin underneath looks so good ... I would say that the melasma is at least 50% gone :) So happy! Last night my face was getting so tight, itchy and uncomfortable that I was considering a break from the Cosmelan II but now I’m glad I continued it. Now if only all this redness and dryness would go away I could finally venture out of the house. I also notice that my face is slightly swollen today especially around my eyes!

Later on Day 3: My face peeled all over again today, which was quite a surprise cause I thought that was over and done with! I removed the peel in the evening by taking a warm bath and rubbing my face gently with my fingers. My skin is so soft now but also very dry! I’m managing the dryness around my eyes and on my lips with vaseline which is really calming to the skin. The Cosmelan II cream is so painful to put on now, and I cringe in pain for at least 2 mins after putting it on! But after it settles down it doesn’t hurt at all! I keep considering missing a dose but I really think most of the difference is being made in these first few days, when all the layers of skin have been peeled back. However I’ll definitely have to reduce the amount I put on if it’s still making me this red when I have to return to work!


Day 4 Post Cosmelan
Woke up this morning with very dry skin and some cracking of the skin around my mouth and in the creases of my nose. Had to apply loads of moisturizer and vaseline, leave it on for an hour, and then wash it off before applying the morning dose of Cosmelan II. For the remainder of the day I will apply Cosmelan II as a spot treatment only to my upper lip, to allow the rest of my face time to heal.
I would say my melasma has been reduced about 70% overall - It’s still visible but only as a shadow. Not entirely sure that all the redness isn’t masking it though, so I hope it stays away once my face has calmed down.


Day 5 Post Cosmelan
Face still very dry and a little swollen around the eyes and lips, but a lot more normal in colour. The tone of my face seems very uniform, seems like all the blemishes have been eradicated :)
Two weeks before I did the Cosmelan mask, I did a test patch on my neck to test of any adverse reactions. Funnily enough today that patch has flared up and is all red and patchy. Not sure what that is a reaction to.
It’s become very clear to me that I’m not going to be able to use my remaining 1/4 of my Cosmelan I tub. Firstly because I don’t have another week off work, and I definitely wouldn’t want to have been at work on any of these past days! Secondly because I wouldn’t want to put myself through all of this again so soon. It’s been quite an intense experience I must say - I would still say it was well worth all the suffering though considering the brilliant results!


Day 6 Post Cosmelan
Ah my face is finally almost back to normal! What a relief! Finally went out with friends last night and none of them seemed to notice anything was different.
Today I’m joining a gym and its going to be such a huge relief being able to go with make up without feeling self conscious.
The melasma on my forehead and cheeks is completely gone, while the uppler lip melasma is barely visible.
I’m so glad I found this treatment, I think it’s really going to help my self-confidence. I don’t know why it isn’t more well known considering the great results within such a short period of time! I had asked my dermatologist about it once and her reply was that it wasn’t effective enough to justify the price. I would have to disagree with her there.
I not sure I would recommend Cosmelan to everyone with melasma, especially the way I did it, without the guidance of a dermatologist.To use cosmelan you have to be able to take at least a week off from everything basically, and you need to be extremely determined to get rid of the melasma (otherwise you’ll succumb to the discomfort and not apply the cosmelan II). You also have to be willing to completely alter your lifestyle to avoid sun exposure as your skin will be very sensitive afterwards.


Cosmelan Tips
- Read, read, read! There’s a lot of information on the internet ... It will prepare you for what to expect
- Do a test patch 2 weeks before the actual treatment to test for any adverse reactions
- Take a week off work and be prepared to be house-bound for much of that week
- Arm yourself with the best moisturizers you can find cause your going to need them. Vaseline works great for the lips and eyes. Apply lots of moisturizer 15 minutes after the cosmelan II.
- The neck area seems to be particularly sensitive ... It may be a good idea to avoid that area unless you have pigmentation problems on it
- Persist with the Cosmelan II 3x a day for the first few days if possible even though its going to be very uncomfortable to apply! If you can’t apply it to your entire face, just apply it to the areas of melasma.
- Don’t despair! The first few days after treatment are quite hard to endure but they will pass and it will be well worth it
- Don’t expect total perfection. You may still be able to see a shadow where the pigmentation was
- Be extremely strict about sun exposure. 50+ sunblock is a must every time you go out, plus a large brim hat if your going to be in the sun for any length of time!