Dark spots need three things, not ten

Step one: vitamin C in the morning

A vitamin C serum, 10 to 15% L-ascorbic acid or a stable derivative, applied to dry skin before moisturiser. It brightens existing spots slowly and, just as importantly, blunts the UV-triggered chain reaction that creates new pigment during the day.

Vitamin C and SPF together protect better than either alone. They are a team, not alternatives.

Step two: a targeted fader at night

Alpha arbutin 2% is the gentle gold standard: it inhibits the enzyme that produces melanin, right at the source. Tranexamic acid and azelaic acid work by related routes and suit sensitive skin well. Retinol also helps by speeding up the turnover that carries pigmented cells away.

Pick one, apply it at night after cleansing, and stay consistent. Rotating products every fortnight because nothing seems to be happening is the most common way people accidentally cancel their own progress.

Step three: SPF 50, every single morning

This is the step that decides whether the other two work. One unprotected afternoon triggers more pigment production than a week of serums can fade. UV comes through clouds and windows, so the habit is daily, all year, rain or shine.

For melasma specifically, SPF matters even more than serums, because heat and UV are the direct triggers.

The honest timeline

Pigment sits deep and fades slowly. Expect the first visible change around week eight, and real change by month three. Nothing reputable works in a fortnight, and anything promising to is worth ignoring.