Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum+

Not long ago, I decided to try one of the new spot lightening serums on my sun spots. Why not? I have a few sun damage spots on my face near my hair line, and I hate them. I did my homework and had pretty much decided to buy the Shiseido product (I had even looked for it at Sephora, but it was out of stock) when the wonderful folks from Shiseido asked me if I'd like to try it. I know they make extraordinary makeup and skin care, but I never realized their mind-reading skills were equally impressive.

White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum+ ($125 or $170) is a super-brightening serum created to diminish stubborn dark spots in 10 days and prevent future pigmentation from appearing. Formulated with smoothing and re-texturizing ingredients to enhance clarity and radiance for flawless, perfectly even-toned skin.

• Developed with advanced Shiseido Multi-Action Brightening System+, targeting all types of hyper-pigmentation and their causes: dark spots, age spots, acne scars. and uneven skin tones.
• Contains ME Complex (Yomogi Extract and Angelica Root Extract) to accelerate cell turnover and diminish and eliminate melanin pigment.

It's interesting that they call "sun spots" "age spots." I much prefer the term "sun spot." The sun caused them, but yes, they appear with age. I could have aged flawlessly had I not baked in the sun as a youngster, teenager, and young adult - long before we knew that the sun would cause premature aging. If you don't believe the damage the sun can do, take a look at the photo of the truck driver who was recently featured on the news. Straight from the New England Journal of Medicine, he's a living, breathing advertisement for sunscreen.

Fortunately, I don't look that bad, but my little spots bother me. I can cover them up pretty well with foundation or concealer, but I would prefer for them to disappear. Shiseido to the rescue!

I have not been religious about using my serum day and night, but I've used it for two weeks and I'm beginning to see a slight difference. I'm actually surprised by that because it usually takes a full 30-day skin turnover cycle to see any effect from spot lighteners. Anyone who expects a lightener to work faster than that is too optimistic. I've seen women return them in 10 days because "they didn't work." If I were a product specialist, I'd have a meltdown after hearing that.

At this point, my spots are not gone - by any measure - but I swear they are slightly less prominent. I'm a skeptic, so I'm definitely going to keep using White Lucent and report back to you in another couple of weeks. At this point, I have to wonder if the change is wishful thinking projected onto my face. I'm very pleased, though.

The serum is lightweight and essentially undetectable after application. I use it only on my spots. I suppose you could use it all over your face if you have widespread damage or wish to brighten your complexion. I think I'm OK on that front, so I'm saving the magic potion for my spots. There is no fragrance to distract me. Basically, I can't tell I applied it. I use all my other skin care and makeup over it. It's fast and easy.

If you have spots you'd like to diminish - or lose - you might want to give Shiseido's White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum+ a try. Give it a chance to work. You can find it online at Shiseido or at any Shiseido counter (unless there's a run on it). In my area, there are counters/displays at Sephora, Bloomingdale's, and Nordstrom. Maybe Macy's too - I can't remember because I don't go there often.

Photo courtesy of Shiseido