Glutathione injections review-

First injection- 7.12.2015. I first bought a glutathione brand called Glutanova. The concoction made me sick and I stopped using it after one dose. I had paid 5000 rupees. Next, I bought Glutax 12g. It cost me 9000 rupees. I took around 3-4 doses. It did not lighten me and I stopped using it since I used to feel queasy. I decided to take a dermatologist's advice. I went to this lovely doctor who advised me to take her glutathione as online sellers often have fake glutathione. I paid 20,000 rupees. I have had one dose and my facial skin is peeling like a snake. I am using Dove soap on my face as it is mild. I don't want to use glutathione soap as it's harsh. My body is not peeling. I have not noticed any lightening or whitening as yet. Will keep updating.

Starting shade-  Sonam Kapoor/ Asin/ Mac nc 42

Second injection- 14.12.2015. So, I just had my second shot. Today, I closely looked for the brand and it's Glutax 5g. I know that I have used Glutax before but there are so many counterfeit products that there's no guarantee that they work. So, I am assuming that this Glutax 5g is real as the doctor's reputation is at stake. I told my doc that I have noticed no improvement.

Me- " No improvement, doc,"
Doc- "Please be patient. Good results are always seen after 3-4 shots,"
Me- "How many shades will I lighten?"
Doc- "6 shades"
Me- "6 shades? That's a lot"
Doc- "Yes. 6 shades is like Sonam Kapoor to Kareena Kapoor (Freida Pinto to Megan Fox)"
Me- " Is that really possible? That, too, in such a short time"
Doc- "Yes, it is"
Me- "Well, waiting for the results"
                     
                                 Now, I am not someone who's scared of injections. I can put on a brave face and bear pain. However, today it did hurt a bit. My arm also felt heavy.

15.12.2015. Feeling a bit sad. Still see no improvement. By the way, starting melas lotion and Eli glow capsule today. Will also be buying Piona strong beaching cream. It does contain HQ but I hope that it works for me. So far, HQ has only made me look dull and oily. Ironically, one of my friends has been using Melacare Forte which contains 4% HQ along with Vitamin A and steroid and has successfully lightened 2 shades. :(
                                                       By the way, I told my doc that I have seen no improvement at a and she advised me to take these injections twice a week. So, my next appointment is on 17th December. I really hope that it works because it has cost me a bomb!

This is the shade improvement that the doc has promised me. Yup! That dramatic. And that's my current skin tone.

16.12.2015. Noticed slight brightening. Or is it my imagination! I read several reviews and all of them say that results are visible after 4-5 shots. Hoping for the best.

31.12.2015. So, here's the last day of 2015. There's a joke that the first day of the year gives dreams and the last day shows your position. I have been trying to lighten since 4.5 years but have not lightened a single shade. Reason for my failures-
1. Not giving enough time to the products
2. Changing products often
3. Not following the routine
4. Using waste products.

                                       I still haven't struck gold. My last hope are glutathione injectables. Ok, so, I had my 6th shot yesterday. No improvement. I know that glutathione doesn't give result in 6 shots. I feel angry at the doctor for misleading me. She should not have given me false hopes. She falsely states that I have lightened but I know that I haven't. No one has told me that I look lighter. By the way, she administered Glutax 5g. I have 5 vials of Glutax 12g left with me. I am going to get them administered thrice a week for faster effect and also because I am slightly pudgy and glutathione works slow for people who are overweight. After that, I am going to get Biome shots. My seller told me that these are the best. I will be taking gutathione capsules, most probably tatiomax. I did not buy Piona bleaching cream as it's very costly and HQ doesn't suit me.

5.1.2016. Happy new year!!! Yesterday I had my 7th injection (Glutax 100g). My veins are so thin that it's very difficult to inject me. I will have another session on Wednesday and then, Saturday. I am going to get Glutathione injected thrice a week. I have ordered Saluta from a Filipino. Everyone says that Saluta is the best and gives the quickest result. As of now, I have not seen any changes. But also remember that I am overweight.

Stopped getting these shots as my veins are very delicate. May begin in future. I still have Saluta. Refer to my skincare regime.

Fair & Lovely and other Indian brands

Sorry to say but I don't like this cream. It's moderately good for acne control and as a makeup base but this cream will not lighten you whatsoever. It may for some but it has never done so for me or any of my friends.

                             The basic lightener in F&L is niacinamide or vitamin B3. B3 is a proven skin lightener. I don't know why but F&L's B3 is very ineffective, at least for me. It may work for many given its popularity. Most of the Indian lighteners contain either B3 ( Pond's White beauty) or Liquorice (Lotus, Jovees). Both of these are effective and good. But it's better to buy a pure B3 or liquorice lotion rather than wasting money on these creams (my personal opinion, these creams may be very effective for a lot of people). One can easily get these lotions on eBay or eBay's Global Easybuy. Ebay, Amazon India, Booyah Chicago and Rediff Shopping are some of the few Indian sites that sell international beauty products. A pure lotion costs around 2000 rupees. It has been my observation time and again that Indian products are very ineffective.

MAC shades

MAC shades are a common way to measure your skin tones. Indians usually have a warm complexion so we are advised to use NC (cool) tones as opposed to NW (warm) tones.

My own current tone is NC 42.

Kareena Kapoor- 20
Katrina Kaif      - 25
Sonakshi Sinha - 42
Bipasha Basu    - 45
Nandita Das      - 50
Deepika Padukone- 44
Neil Nitin          - 15
                                           
                                                     These are my estimations and I don't claim to know the MAC shades of these artists.

Skin Shades- International (mainly west)

          Common measurement for skin tones in the West is the Fitzpatrick Scale-

Indians usually fall between the III-VI  tones. I & II skin tones are very very rare in India.

I skin tone- Emma Stone

II skin tone- Megan Fox

III skin tone- Jessica Alba

IV skin tone- Aishwarya Rai

V skin tone- Will Smith

VI skin tone- Whoopi Goldberg

Skin shades- India

My skin tone is very similar to South Indian actress Asin's.

 Her color can be described as medium brown or wheatish. In India, we use a different scale to measure skin color. We don't have redheads or blondes. We have four basic categories- fair, wheatish, dusky and dark. I have further segregated them into 6 categories-

1. Very fair- Very light skin. Pink skin tones. Often mistaken for a white person. Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh is a clear example of this skin tone. Actresses Kareena and Karishma Kapoor, Isha Sharvani and Soumya Tandon are also very fair.

2. Fair- Fair skin tones have a slight redness to them. People with fair skin tones can easily become red when exposed to sun or under physical stress. It's not that other people don't get flushed but flushing of face is more noticeable among fair skin tones. Katrina Kaif is fair. Kangna Ranaut, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai are also fair.

3. Light Wheatish- People with light wheatish skin tone can be called fair but not very fair. Many people will not consider them fair at all. Light wheatish skin is medium brown in color and can get flushed only after heavy exercise. People with this skin tone look good in maroon.

4. Dark Wheatish- Dark wheatish skin tone is not dusky but not light enough to be considered fair. People with this skin tone sometimes look fair after a bath.

5. Dusky- This skin tone never looks fair. Not after a bath, not after a parlor session- never. People with dusky skin tones often identify themselves with the late Jiah Khan, Freida Pinto, Bipasha Basu and Chitrangada Singh.

6. Dark- Dark skin tones appear black or blackish-brown. Actresses like Nandita Das and actor Johny Lever are dark.

    Now you know all about skin tones in India :)

observations

I have been trying to lighten since 3-4 years but could not due to shitty products available in the Indian market. Some products that will never lighten u-
Fair & lovely (classic :p)
Olay
White beauty by Pond's
Lakme
Emami
Lotus
Clean & clear (pimple products are good but skin lightening products are crap)
Himalaya
Shehnaz
Nafia (sold online)
St.Dalflour (online)
Neoprosone (ebay has some sellers)

Oh god! I don't even remember the names! There are so many.
Thumb rule- if it's an Indian product, 99% chances are that it won't work. A product may work for you because everyone's skin is different but these didn't for me.
     After years of researching, I have come to realize some things:
1) Hydroquinone (HQ)+ retin a (ra) work well for most people. However, you need to use these for 3-4 months and stop. Take a break for 2-3 months, use natural lighteners like Kojic Acid cream or Vitamin C lotion and then, start again.

2) Caro white (cw)  by Dream cosmetics and Caro light (cl) by Angel cosmetics are good and have worked for most when cw/cl tub and oil are used together. They contain hq.

3) Skin lightening thins your skin. You need to use a moisturizer to build up your skin. RA also helps though it can cause dryness.

4) Use of RA and Alpha-hydroxy Acids (aha) will help in preventing and eliminating wrinkles. So can a good diet and exercise. Keep stress at bay to prevent ageing.

5) Use of SPF 30 is a must but most Indian sunscreens make you look darker except Lotus Matte sunscreen. Wearing sunscreen indoors is also good.

 I am no dermatologist but these observations are based on my experience.