Traditionally, bleaching skin involved use of hydrogen peroxide to bleach the fine facial hairs which would give an instant glow to the skin. These bleaches do not remove melanin which is the main cause of tanning and thus give only temporary results for few weeks. If not used carefully they could cause irritations/burns on skin which would worsen the darkening.

Nowadays, safer bleaching creams are available, and procedures have also been developed for skin lightening and tan removal. The main options include:

● Natural remedies and herbal products which are available over the counter containing lemon, turmeric, honey etc that have doubtful efficacy and takes a long time to remove tan.
● Bleach procedures on parlors using strong chemicals which can temporarily lighten the skin but may also cause skin damage.
● Medical grade topical products containing lightening agents like glycolic acid, kojic acid, vitamin C etc which are recommended by doctors and gives good results in short time. However, a careful usage and good skincare regimen with sunprotection is essential for satisfactory results without side effects.
● For dark tan and damaged skin, chemical peels can be used to exfoliate the upper injured skin layer so as to brighten the skin from inside. Laser procedures like laser toning and carbon peel can remove deeper tan which are not treatable by any other means.

If you have a bad tan, please visit a dermatologist for appropriate treatment as your skin barrier might be damaged and using OTC products and bleaches can deteriorate your skin further. A combination of the above treatment options can be used judiciously to give you the best reault in a short time.