Me: What?

Nol: Those brown patches on your face.

Me: (she noticed them, they must have gotten worse.)

Not wearing any make up, I looked in the mirror and sure enough, I have them so visible in both cheeks like I didn’t put my bronzer in the correct spot. I brushed it off like it was no big deal and concentrated mainly on having fun with my vacation in the province.

Went swimming without using any sunblock lotion considering that it was a cloudy day. Spent about 2 hours frolicking on the beach in my bathing suit. The following day, I felt a slight discomfort on my back – a sunburn perhpas, and the brown spots on my face became noticeable to many.

I thought they were temporary but why they haven’t faded away? Could they be something cancerous? Before I left to the Philippines, I went to see a doctor for something else and simultaneously consulted about those patches on my face. He said they were not cancerous, which was a big relief.

Which made me think? How did I get them? What did I do differently earlier this year?

I remember now- my kind of job exposes me to the harmful UV rays 6 hours a day yet I quit using sunblock lotion on my face and on my arms and legs because they were giving me rashes. I didn’t know what I was thinking but I thought that it would do my skin good if i gave it a break from whatever chemicals in the sunblock lotion that were giving me rashes. The only shield I had from the sun was the facial moisturizer and lotion on my arms and legs and a hat, and it went on like that for 3 to 4 months.

Evidently, the sun shield that I thought would help protect me from the sun was not enough. Those brown spots came like a thief in the night and without explanation. At first, they were hardly noticeable, more like trapped dirt or make-up so I thoroughly but gently scrubbed them using a product I bought, hoping that they would go away, but just like stubborn stains, they lingered. Though, i could still camouflage them with a bronzer.

Now, have anyone of you had them and if so, what product did you use to help diminish the discoloration? A Filipino friend of mine highly recommends JJJ Magic Spot Removing Cream because it did the trick on hers. At 62 years old, she has a flawless skin. She said to go look for JJJ in Sta Cruz in Manila but I didn’t have the time to make a trip to a place I haven’t set foot in for a long time. I was just too busy during the only day I was in Manila and so I thought I would look for it online when I returned to the US.

Turns out that the product is only available in the Philippines but can also be purchased online for a more expensive price. I wasn’t too sure if I should order it because of the long shipping time. Instead, I ordered an Emu oil, that a friend of mine in the US extremely recommends.

you see that brown patch on my cheek?

Except for the JJJ, these are the products that I have used on my face since my return to the US, namely:

1. Ganozhi soap – given by a good friend
2. Face SPF 70
3. Papaya & Pineapple Masque
4. Loreal Ultra Hydrating Cream
5. Ly Na

And not included in the list that I also use once in a while are lemon juice and white distilled vinegar diluted with water.

Which one/s should I discontinue or continue? Help!