Back in 2010 I had written about how the India society is so unabashedly obsessed with fair complexion - even Indian men. To be honest I too was part of the band wagon till not so long ago. Well I still am - just that I now realize that you just cannot get a lighter tone with any of the skin lightening creams that are available in the market - certainly not when we face the kind of heat in the subcontinent and the kind of pollution that is so ubiquitous in Indian cities.
Think about it yourself ! As I understand to be able to maintain a fair skin you should be inherently fair. None of the fairness cream can turn an inherently dark complexion into a fair one. Even for those that are inherently fair, genetics matter to ensure if that fairness is affected by exposure to sun if it isn't. While it is known that the phenomenon of tanning affects one and all I would like to believe that if affects different people to different limits depending on the extent to which the pigment melanin comes up to the surface of the skin when exposed to sunlight.You perhaps may have noticed that may north Indians get tanned much less as compared to others even though they are even more exposed to sunlight - genetics I think!
In short, Melanin holds the key. Based on the extent to which this pigment can be kept subdued tanning is effected
I haven't observed the chemical composition of most fairness creams for men but I presume they would contain the same ingredient as would be present in a sunscreen. You might as well use a sunscreen with a large spf (sun protection formula a metric to measure the reflective power of a suncreen)(say 35-60) depending on the comfort level you have of applying such creams on your face. Creams with large spfs are very thick and need to be evenly spread. Hence I doubt that a fairness cream can do any more than a sunscreen.
In other words - you can only retain your present complexion not lighten it. That said, sunscreens or fairness creams are important to prevent further deterioration in complexion (prevent tanning basically). You could get a fairer skin through applications of particular chemicals on your face which leads to a peeling off of the top layer exposing the unmelaninized lower surface which is considerably lighter. But you would need to go to a parlour for that and the treatment could take you about four months - I am keeping this segment of the discussion reserved so as not to take the focus away from the principal topic of daily application of products
But do you really feel the effect of a consistent tone even after regularly applying sunscreens. The answer may vary but for most Indian me taking to public transport or bikes( anything other than am air conditioned car) the answer is perhaps a no, Suncreens provide a sticky surface which attracts more dust to settle on your skin - the result being uneven tone sometimes as though you have come from a mine. It is important ,therefore, that you have a face wash that cleanses your skin of the dirt after the travel is complete. This is where the importance off ace washes comes in something which has unfortunately been not paid much attention to by India men.
The series to be followed should therefore be
Suncreen with a high spf --> cover your face as much as you can --> go out inn the sun ('coz you have to) --> use a face wash when you reach your destination
There are a few face washes inn the market catering to the male tough skin - Garnier men, Vaseline face wash for men and Nivea advanced whitening to name a few but none does the job of cleaning your face of excessive dust as well as "L'oreal Men Expert with Charcoal foam" does. I have tried many face washes - L'oreal is just perfect for the India men skin constantly exposed to dust and pollution. Its charcoal foam has an amazing magnetic effect that clears away pollution leaving your skin with an eve tone something you will want to have on a Friday night while wanting to go for a movie or to the party after a gruelling day at work followed by travel through the congested and polluted Indian roads. It has oil control as well - so you skin may feel a little dry after application. You may use a moisturiser after that to control that.
The face wash is just great and I personally feel that L'oreal has perhaps underestimated the potential of this cream in the India market. Presently, I don not think there is any other face wash that would come close to L'oeral for cleasing your skin of dust as much as this does. L'oreal also has a "Brigtehning foam facewash" which is effective but I feel the charcoal content in the former one just provides so much better cleansing!The facewash though, is slightly more expensive coming in at INR 449 for 100g and i have not foud this consistenly in all super markets - not atleast in Pune
So while facecreams seem to occupy the Inndian man's mind when it comes to fairness the focus sould clearly be on getting an even tone atleast under Indian conditions and in this "L'Oreal Men Expert Charcoal Foam" is strongly recommended
