Rx Review – Triluma – Problem? Pigmentation

What is Triluma? A prescription cream prescribed to address dark spots and pigmentation. There are many other the counter “tone correcting” and “lightening” products as well that you are probably familiar with. These are Hyroquinone, Kojic Acid, Licorice Extract, Vitamin C, Lactic Acid and Glycolic acid. I may have missed some.  Many (and sometimes a combination of these) are sold in lightening and pigment correction products. Triluma is a stronger level of hydroquinone , 4% to be exact. The highest over the counter allowance is 2%. Triluma also contains a small amount of Tretinoin (a form of Vitamin A), and a small amount of Flucinolone Acetonide (a cortisone type ingredient which on its own is used to treat redness and inflammation).

Why did I get an Rx? If you read my bio in the “about” section you know I’m primarily a drugstore beauty shopper (with some Sephora & Ulta mixed in here and there).  I tend to be very price point oriented and often I shy away from Rx fixes for fear they will be pricey (incurring a doc visit and pricey prescription). However, recently I made the plunge. Why? My birth control pills. I love my Yaz and it gave me clearer skin and bigger boobs, but on the flip side it also gave me very light melasma (I affectionately call them freckles). This is very common with birth control pills and also very common for pregnant woman (commonly known as “the pregnancy mask” due to its occurrence in pregnant women). While my melasma was very light and most people don’t notice my few “freckles”, I did. Also, I live in Houston and its sunny here all the time…and sun can make melasma worse.

Are there different kinds if Triluma? How much does it cost? My derm prescribed me a Triluma “compound”. A compound is when the ingredients/components in Triluma are mixed together from scratch at an apothecary instead of the pre-mixed tube of Triluma (price for the compound was about $65). This is cheaper than the tube of Triluma which will run you closer to $100. I admit my jar looked odd as I traveled home with my freshly made concoction.  It also needed to be refrigerated. But, the refrigeration turned out not to be necessary if the product was used within the life span.

How do you use it? Does it work? I only use it at night and use very little on my whole face and I make sure I get the few spots I want to address. I have been watching these spots diligently over the last month or so and have to honestly say that they are less pronounced. I don’t think people notice all that much in my daily life, especially if I have blush or bronzer on and when I go out at night, but bare faced, I feel that both the overall skin tone of my freckles and of my skin in general has definitely improved. This is of course just my experience but wanted to share it with P&W readers. Everyone’s skin is different.

Bottom line: There are a lot of inexpensive OTC drugstore products and now some very expensive department store products claiming to even skin tone and correct spots…we haven’t tried all of them but we have tried a lot. Some work better than others. Some don’t work at all. But if pigmentation and dark spots is your issue… and a visit to the derm is in your future… Triluma gets high marks. ~Elizabeth