For best results, wait… how long?

Whether it’s spot faders or antidandruff shampoo, each treatment needs time to work effectively.

Besides Rome, you know what else wasn’t built in a day?

Collagen. Or hair that grows in thicker. But if you stick with proven ingredients, for the right amount of time, you’ll

see real, long-lasting changes in your skin and hair.

It takes teamwork to get rid of brown spots or discolouration. A good brightening serum will improve your complexion after about four weeks

– if you’re also applying sunscreen every single morning. “UV exposure is one of the main causes of dark marks and melasma [a chronic skin disorder that results in brownish facial pigmentation], so if you’re not protecting your skin with broadspectrum SPF 30 or higher while you’re treating it, the sun will just work against whatever progress you make,” says dermatologist Dr Noëlle S. Sherber. So slather on a high SPF before you leave the house each day and wear a hat whenever you’re out in direct sunlight. Twice a day, pat on a few drops of a vitamin C serum – “a superhero spot fader that also prevents new ones from forming,” says Sherber – before your moisturiser and sunscreen. Look for a formula that contains l-ascorbic acid, one of the most effective forms of vitamin C. We like The Inkey List Vitamin C Serum ($18, Sephora).

A tinted moisturiser or BB cream will help even out skin tone and brighten your complexion, and “one that’s labelled illuminating will reflect light off your skin so discolouration is less noticeable,” says Sherber. Try Revlon Skinlights Face Glow Illuminator ($24.95, Myer).