I recently went to Namibia and while it was never hotter than 80 degrees, the sun was always shining. I only used a 30 SPF that I didn't reapply during the day since I was wearing makeup and didn't always wear a hat. Sunscreen is your best tool in reducing sun damage so I didn't do a good job in protecting myself.  Reversing sun damage is a very slow process to get rid of so don't expect immediate improvement as you need to be patient.  You can't expect one ingredient to do it all. You want to make sure you have a team of ingredients working together. 

The acids in the products listed below speed up cellular turnover and remove dead skin cells that have damage. They help to repair some of the damage by UVA light and regulate the melanin production in your skin and speed up cellular turnover. Kojic Acid is  made from a fungus and is great in inhibiting those enzymes that produce melanin. Alpha Arbutin comes from the dried leaves of blueberries leaves. Vitamin C can minimizes the amount of hyperpigmentation and brightens the skin. AHA works to speed up cellular turnover and get that old dead skin layer off so that these other products can work better. Prescription tretinoin helps to improve discoloration and minimize fine lines and aging.

Step 1:  Farmacy's Brighten Up 3% TXA Toner (I use both in the morning and evening).  I apply 2 layers of it. It has 3% Tranexamic Acid which is brightening ingredient as well as Azelaic Acid that helps to prevent to dark spots from appearing and reduce red spots. When you get the bottle, after you remove the top, there's a little stopper that is meant to be pulled out to allow for a few drops to come out. However, the entire white cap should not be pulled out as this might mean that too much comes out! The product is little heavy and sticky on the skin so use very thin layers. I also love Farmacy's Green Clean makeup remover balm.

Step 2:  Naturium Alpha Arbutin Serum which is is great for reducing the appearance of dark spots. It also has Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide.  

Kojic Acid Serum with Arbutin I alternate days using this verses using the Naturium.