Dark spots: what to use, and how long it actually takes

Two gentle things worth your money are tranexamic acid and alpha arbutin. Both are mild enough to start at full strength on day one, both suit morning or evening, and both play well with almost everything else.

Tranexamic acid — well suited to stubborn dark spots and post-blemish marks. You might notice something from around the second week, and it keeps building over a couple of months.

Alpha arbutin — same idea, very well tolerated. Change builds over several weeks, not days.

You can use them together, and both sit fine alongside niacinamide.

How to use either

• After cleansing, on clean dry skin, before moisturizer.
• Across the whole face, not dabbed on the mark. The area around a spot tends to even out too.
• Patch test first if you react easily to new things.

The part everyone skips

Sunscreen, daily. Neither ingredient makes you sun-sensitive — but sun is what's driving the pigment in the first place. Without it you're refilling the bath with the plug out.

Full pages: https://skinintelligence.ai/wiki/tranexamic-acid and https://skinintelligence.ai/wiki/alpha-arbutin