Anyone out there know the color difference between the New and Old Formula? The answer is in this blog some time ago. Again, it sounds like the old formula!

Someone please help out. If this is the new formula, it is the first time that I have heard that it has worked and it has worked quickly (too quickly). Maybe it is the technique used.

Quuinitis, how did you come up with this technique?

This is from 5/20. From Jay. I am not sure what year it is from because Jeff Barson no longer includeds the year in his posting dates.

"I hope this helps everyone. Don't forget when you call the offices - the old C2 is brown with a yellow tint. The new C2 is brown but WITHOUT the yellow tint and goes on pasty. The new formula WILL NOT WORK. I have tried it in March. In addition, the most you can have the OLD mask on your face is 8 hours due to its potency. The NEW mask was on my for 13 hours."

So the old C2 is brown with a yellow tint
The new C2 is brown without the yellow tint. It goes no pasty.
Both are brown. There may be more information on how it looks if you look back to May's posts.

Quinitis, look at your C2 and tell us whether it is brown with hint of yellow or just brown. Thanks.

Mine definately is the new formula, it doesn't have any yellow tint.

I came up with this technique from my experience working in the dental field. Every time before we give injection, we apply 20% benzocaine topical to the injection site to anesthetize the tissue before injection. In order for benzocaine to work, it has to meet 2 conditions:1 Enough contact time, 2 benzocaine can't be dry, has to be in gel or cream form. So I figured that cosmelan mask probably works better (more potent) when it is kept moist during the whole application. After reading you guys posts about the new formula, I decided to give my technique a try, and it worked. I'm very satisfied with the results.

QC

QUNITIS,
wOULD I BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH YOUR CONTACT AND BUY THE WHOLE KIT?

THANKS,
LT

LT,
Try ebay.com . Good luck.

QC

QC,

Is it genuine in ebay? Is that were you got yours from?

Yes, it is genuine new formula in ebay. I got mine from a physician friend who did me a favor. She was the one who told me that you can buy this new formula from ebay, you can't find the old formula anywhere.

QC

Hi qunitis -

Can you direct us to the ebay seller or store? There are several and I don't want to get the wrong one.

Thank you for your help!

There are 2 ebay sellers who sell cosmelan products. They are both power sellers, so probably both good. The cosmelan 1 complete kit costs about $360.00 in ebay right now. Good luck.

QC

Sorry, there are more than 2 cosmelan sellers in ebay. I would go with the power sellers.

QC

Hi Jee,

It's been a while since I posted but I mentioned in one of my posts that my friend did the Old Cosmelan a year ago and she rececently did the new cosmelan she said progressively the new cosmelan did work for her and she was happy with the results but but it did take a few weeks to see any improvement.

I'll probably do the cosmelan one more time apparently when I did mine he had the old cosmelan. I will be doing it again in November.

Justina

Justina, thanks for keeping us up to date. What do you think of quinitis' technique with the Saran Wrap? Looks like you can get a more robust and quicker response! Let us know how your Cosmelan works when you do it in November!

Hello all,

I'd like to offer you some of my experiences with the new Cosmelan formulation as a physician specializing in Cosmetic Medicine. I have used the new Cosmelan on at least a dozen patients and have had amazing results on all of them. Their skin types range from Fitzpatrick I-V, with mixed epidermal and dermal melasma.

The trick is to prep the skin with a degreaser, then a good strength salicylic or mandelic acid peel (appropriate pH and concentration) before applying the Cosmelan 1 mask and using an occlusive such as clear plastic food wrap (as Qunitis wrote in her blog). The patient then applies the Cosmelan 2 and Hydra-Vital K creams 3x/day for 3 weeks. I then have the patient come back to my office during the 4th week for a "spot treatment" of the hyperpigmented areas with Cosmelan 1 (again, I degrease the skin with acetone and prep the skin with a salicylic or mandelic acid peel). I may or may not occlude the mask with wrap this time. The patient leaves the mask on for 8-16 hrs and then reduces application of Cosmelan 2/Hydra-Vital K to 2x/day for 3 weeks, then once every night for a total of 5-6 months.

During the first 2 weeks, patients are peeling and may experience erythema. Peeling may even continue for 3-6 weeks but peeling is reduced during this time. Great outcomes from my experience with the new formulation of Cosmelan!

Yvonne,

Do you do a thin or thick application of Cosmelan 1?
What is the pH and concentration of the salicylic acid or mandelic acid peel you use?
For the second application of Cosmelan 1, how do you decide whether to occlude or not to occlude?
Do you use Saran Wrap to occlude or is generic ok?

Hi Jee,

I'm definitely going to do the Saran Wrap like Quanitis suggested just to see if I see if get a more optimal result. I admit I did the old Cosmelan in May and I was happy with my results it got 80% lighter but I think one more time will get it 95% lighter. But I will be doing the old Cosmelan I found a lady who does it torrance. So I will be going there.

Justina

does anybody knows a doctor witj the old formula in south florida???
have anybody tried amelan o dermamelan yet, does it works?
Thanks

we are having good success with dermalan/amalan.
we are in Cherry Hill, NJ

Jee,

What is the difference between Dermalan and Cosmelan, please advise.

Justina

They are very similar. Dermelan comes from South America or Spain.

Jee,
Sorry about the delay in replying. I use up to 30% salicylic and 50% mandelic (all with pH 1.8), depending on what their Fitzpatrick skin type will tolerate. I usually don't occlude during the 2nd application of Cosmelan 1 mask, because the patient is often peeling and I don't want to challenge it too much. Hope this helps. What's your experience with the new formulation, and what protocol do you use?

Yvonne

Hi Quintis,
Are you hispanic and if so, what color would you say your skin is? The reason that I'm asking that is because I wanted to try your technique but I first wantd to know if we have similar skin color. I'm hispanic with olive color skin.

I just went to the Derm. and he said Cosmelan would work for me(he has a couple of the old version left). My concern is the recovery time, he said it is 3 weeks of redness and peeling. Did everone experience this. Please let me know your experience. Thanks, MT

MT,

No I did the old cosmelan in May and had 3 days of redness and a couple of weeks of pinkness and heavy peeling for about 4-6 days and light peeling after that.

Justina

Hi Yvonne,

Send me an email and I will forward the protocols to you. Jeff4459@aol.com.

I am a board certified plastic surgeon, aesthetian and makeup artist in South Florida with perhaps the best medical spa in the country. Cosmelan is an excellent choice for melasma. Depending on skin type, apply cosmelan one for 4 hours or more on day one, then wash off with water and start cosmelan two for two weeks or three. Results are uniformly "unbelievably great." Do NOT use hydroquinones, as there is an incidence of ochinosis (permanently blue face) in patients (especially Afro-Americans). There is no cure for this and litiigation should be expected (patient is told by attorney to just pick a number). If for some reason cannot use cosmelan, use Lutronics laser using Q-switch technology using Nd:YAG wavelength. Follow this advice and you will always be a champ.

Hello all,
I'm a med-esthetician who is wondering what you do with the rest of the Cosmelan 1 cream as there is enough for 3 peels for the patient per jar.
Do u charge the intial fee for the kit, save the cream in fridge, then include it rest of Cosmelan 1 for touch up appnts for free or charge for each touch up??
PPP

Dr. Dowbak,

Just last weekend in Boston with R. Rox Anderson, we were told that Melasma is very difficult to treat. 1/3 will get better, 1/3 will NOT get better and some will get worse. This includes Q-Switch lasers at 1064 in Asians and Fraxel. Your advice is appreciated, but I think you overstate the quality of the results plus Hydroquinone causes ochronosis rarely and usually when used for years in very high concentrations (South Africa). I would caution all readers of your post to be skeptical and careful with your advice as it flies in the face of all I have learned at ASLMS Meetings, Webinars, Harvard Conferences and personal communication from other physicians. Plus, we see from the posts on MedicalSpaMD that the new Cosmelan does not work that well (from Melasma Sufferers).

To be honest you sound like a Lutronic Salesperson or a Cosmelan Salesperson. I will google you to see if you truely do have the second best Medical Spa in the country (mine being the best).

Has anyone seen ochranosis in the US? I have not and can not find documentation of it in the US. Dr. Zane Obagi has been using high dose hydroquinone for long periods of time and he still stands by its use. I talked to him back in january.

I use a fair amount of hydroquinone and have never seen it. I likely will not see it as the only documentation I can find is in Africans and South American individuals. I have not seen a documented case in a caucasian and the largest majority of my patients are caucasian Fitz 1-3.

I have nice and consistent results when I use the combination of Obagi and Fraxel. I have had improvement in 100% of my cases when I use them in combination (not 100% resolution but significant improvement).

Now the next question is how long will the results last? The hardest part is getting the patients to wear a good sunblock and avoid the sun. I tell them if they do not they have a 100% chance of it reoccurrence or worsening.

Hi there, I am looking for the OLD version of cosmelan C2 cream. do any of you know wher you can still purchease this?

Mt where is your derm based?

hope some1 can help, thank you

I am a real board certified plastic surgeon and active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons as well as a licensed esthetician and makeup arrtist and have the "best" medical spa in America (on the basis of quality results and 100% perfect safety record). Charlatans such as ENT, eye surgeons, general surgeons etc. who operate medical spas in Florida do so illegally and risk action by the State Board of Medicine. I have no financial interest in the Lutronics company nor in the company that manufactures Cosmolan. I take pleasure in telling the truth based on my personal experiences and research. I was the only one to personally condemn "Thermage" as worthless when it came out (numerous complaints and ONE DEATH finally got the message across). Though my self confidence probably comes across as arrogance to some, I have adhered to all ethical oaths I took as a medical student including the Oath of Maimonides and the Hippocratic Oath. It is the criminal activity of those who run medical spas funded and in some cases actually operated by business men and indeed criminals with proven ties to the Mafia in New Jersey (information published in newspapers available upon request) which should be condemned. Any spa that advertises itself as a "medical spa" in the State of Florida and does NOT have a real plastic surgeon or Dermatologist as a medical director can be reported to the State Board of Medicine and immediately shut down at the least, not to mention huge fines and possible jail time. Because ocrhronosis is a rare phenomenon after Hydroquinones, it should not be recommended. Indeed, the FDA banned it last year and it was taken off the shelves with no final report published. As far as Obagi is concerned, anyone who sells this producrt has NOT done their homework-it is totally overpriced and sold to ladies with a smooth talking salesperson. Like Jime Cramer of Mad Money, I am not interested in making friends, but I am totally interested in providing safe, high quality health care in a legitimate medical spa for my patients. This is why Harvard cannot compete with me and whiy 100s of surgeons have flown to Bonita Springs for training.

Greg,
I think you are an egotistical blowhard. Many factual inaccuracies in your last post. Melasma is NOT easy as you suggest. I would put R. Rox Anderson up against you any day of the week. I will specifically be checking into your assertions about the FDA banning Hydroquinone and only Plastic Surgeons and Dermatologist being allowed to own and operate Spas in Florida. The last I heard, Hydroquinone was NOT banned by the FDA (although they are considering this terrible possibility) and any doctor could own and operate a MedSpa in Florida (although the plastics and derms are pushing for a restrictive law like this). Greg, you confuse your wishes with reality. Check you facts and get back to me. Send references, etc.

Yvonne,
regarding the 30% mandelic and salyc. acid before Cosmelan--What brand are those acids from--Mesoderm? (Cosmelan's head quarter company?)
Also, what do u charge for the treatment and post touch up treatments??
BnD

can someone please let me know the name of the doctor in santa monica who does the old formula of cosmelan? thank you.

I just had the NEW Cosmelan 1 mask applied at my dermatologist last Friday (today is Weds.). The doctor put the whole entire jar of Cosmelan 1 on my face and told me to keep the mask on for 12 hours (I am a photo type II) since it is weaker than the older version. I went to Dr. Pilest in Irvine as well and hoped to get the old Cosmelan but they told me the complany no longer makes it and any doctor(s) that say they still have it are lying. I am somewhat satisified maybe becasue I never tried the old version so i don't have much to compare it to. Except the nurse told me there was NO down time!! She said I may be a little red afterwards but nothing substantial. I woke up before work the next morning and looked like I had third-degree burns so I had to call out sick! Here's how the recovery has been so far:

Day 1 - Really, really bright red and very tight feeling on the skin. I applied the moisturizer a couple of times very thick.

Day 2 - Still very red and beginning to peel around chin and mouth area

Day 3 - The worst day for peeling! Sheets coming off all around mouth and cheeks. I lathered the moisturizer on every couple of hours so thick that my face had a white glow to it.

Day 4 - Still peeling but more on the forehead and jaw line now. Redness has gone away byt 80%

Day 5 - Peeling on perimeter of face (near the ears, jaw line, and top of forehead). Not very red, just a light pinky color.

So today is day 5 and I don't really see much in the way of lightening to the dark spots. There are some little freckles that are gone but my main spots are still very much there. I have not used the Cosmelan 2 yet becasue I am waiting for my skin to calm a bit. I did call a doctor in Beverly Hills who claims to still have some of the OLD Cosmelan 2 left so I might go there and compare theirs with my New one just to make sure there is a difference. My doctor's office said to just be patient and the NEW stuff takes longer to work... so trying to be patient. I will post in a week or so with the current results.

Hi everyone. Interestings posts, all of them. My first experience w/this treatment was seeing the results on a friend. I couldn't believe how incredible her skin looked. She used it for melasma, not acne. I am Asian. I have tried, HQ (I think it made my spots darker), IPL (made it worse), Fraxel (1 treatment looked pretty good, might have looked better after 5, but couldn't afford 5 more treatments), Triluma (no results), OBAGI (worse, told Dr. I don't respond to HQ but they recommended it anyway after the IPL). I most recently was given Finacea to try - but haven't done it, since it says it's for Rosacea (if anyone has tried it let me know results). I went to a place in OC today to get info re: Cosmelan. I see all your posts but it would help if people would say what kind skin type they have regarding the treatment, i.e., "caucasian, burn easy", "caucasian w/olive skin", "asian", etc.. I'm so afraid to try anything else because i don't wast any more money and my skin is very sensitive, scars easy and my melasma (mainly cheeks like light tan "blush") seems worse after all these treatments. IPL gave me some spots on upper lip. I'm 44 & only recently started getting melasma over the past 3yrs. I've also been taking the same birth control pill for 24 years continuously and never was affected w/it...soooo...who is Asian out there (I'm Korean, don't know if diff asians have diff skin affects)? I tan very easily on my body...I"m basically a golden brown year round even with 50 sunblock. Facial skin is lighter I use at least 30 on my face daily, and have been for 23yrs. Before I commit, help! Thanks for all your help!

Okay, so I used the NEW C2 for about a week and saw no results so I managed to find a doctor in Beverly Hills who still had some of the old left. WOW! I used it only one night and saw great results the next morning. My skin was peeling again and became pinky in color but I could see lightening already! I would highly recommend trying to find the old C2 becasue it is like night and day compared to the new kind. I think I will buy a couple more jars of it just in case they run out :)

For all of you that are asking for the old cosmelan don't waste your time trying to find it. If there is anybody out there telling you that it is the old one they are lying to you. No doctor out there carries the old cosmelan. Mesoesthetic is not allowed to sell the old version anymore. I urge to find something else and save your money. It's expensive and it doesn't work. Hope this works for a lot of yuo out there trying to look for it.

We used Cosmelan for years until in 2007 when they changed the formula and it wasn't as effective. Now we use Melanage from Young's Pharmaceuticals and it works like the original Cosmelan formula. We get great results with persistent melasma, especially Fitz type III and IV.
Leigh

Received a call from Mesoesthetic yesterday. They claim to have reconstituted the formula to more match the old formula and have raised the price to $300. I will be calling to see if they will accept my current inventory as trade. If not I will look for another solution.

Regards,
Mark

I am an aesthetician, turned skin care founder and owner of Skin Script. I would like to share my experience with melasma treatments. I worked with 2 physicians in a med spa and saw many, many cases of melasma and hyperpigmentation in Fitzpatricks 1-6. I, personally, completed 6 photofacials - my melasma was definitely worse. I completed the original Cosmelan and the results were amazing - for about 9 months. Then my melasma was back. I believe melasma (as well as PIH from acne breakouts) is an on-going maintenance condition. Just like acne, I don't believe there is a "cure" for melasma

It was through my desire to find something for my clients, other than HQ to treat and maintain melasma, that Skin Script was created. We (the 2 docs and 4 other aesthes) combined glycolics and retinols, as well as kojic and arbutin (natural lighteners) to create home care products that can be used by every ethnicity on a long term basis. We then created enzymes and chemical peels with higher percentages of kojic, arbutin and azaleic to be used as professional treatments by the aesthetician.

Yes, my melasma comes back every time I spend time in the sun (even with sunblock every 2 hours), but skin care can keep it lightened safely and economically.

I believe the physician's initial treatments like lasers, Cosmelan, and HQ are the most effective immediately, but for long term maintenance, I believe in my skin care.

I agree with Lisa. Melasma is like Diabetes and Hypertension. It can be controlled but not cured. I am looking forward to trying Lisa's skin care line for my patients. I am coming to the realization that lasers and lights are not the best treatment for Melasma . . . but an excellent skin care line that can be used long term is the best current answer.

Does anyone know of an Atlanta area or Georgia doctor using the old Cosmelan product?

OMG this site as been EXTREMELY helpful! I had a consultation today and the doc had the NEW cosmelan and told me it's a very slow process and it could take months before seeing results! He said the older version was awesome but they don't make it anymore...I wonder if he knows there are docs who do have it.

anyways, is it true that the docs who say they have the old one are lying? I'm in Vegas and I'd go to Cali, but I don't wanna make that trip for nothing. my doc is charging $600 for the entire kit, so if i'm gonna go all the way to Cali for the NEW one, I might as well stay here and get it done for cheaper. how do we know FOR SURE that the doc has the old one and isn't lying to us?

one more question....has anyone heard of MELANAGE???? it supposedly is better than cosmelan and I was told that this would work really well for PIH and Melasma. has anyone had this done? if so, what were your results?

Thanks and let's keep this thing going!

Telly

p.s. as stated before, it'd be super helpful if when you state your results that you mention what type of skin you have (1-6) and severity of pigmentation.

oh i 4got to mention that my doc said that because the NEW cosmelan isn't as strong as the older version that I should get a glycolic peel either the day before or day of getting the cosmelan 1 done. this is supposed to help get results similar to the old cosmelan...did any of the NEW cosmelan users try this?

Telly, sounds like your doc knows what he is talking about. Read this whole blog and it will tell you how to tell the old cosmelan from the new cosmelan. It will also tell you how to use the new cosmelan (with occlusive) if you choose to do the new cosmelan. We have heard good things about Melange. We are meeting with the company that makes it and we will be testing it. Telly, remember that Melasma is like Diabetes and Hypertension. You can treat it and control it, but you cannot cure it. Good Luck.

OK so someone PLEASE help me understand this once and for all...

there's OLD cosmela, NEW cosmelan, Dermelan, Dermamelan, and Amelan! goodness!!! what is the difference?!?!

the doc in santa monica says he has the old cosmelan. and supposedly the old cosmelan is like the amelan, but Dr. Krulig, the guy who created Amelan, is distributing Dermelan. and i don't know where the dermamelan comes in, but it's all in the mix too!

someone please tell me what is what and what does what! MUCH APPRECIATED!

p.s...i don't have melasma, I have hyperpigmentation from acne

Telly

I am a 54 year old south asian living in the USA (midwest) who has got absolutely no improvement from peels, HQ, TriLuma, Meladerm, etc. My problems did not only not go away but I keep getting more fresh patches, the most recent one being a 'moustache' that gets worse by the week! I am desperate and depressed and feeling lost as to what to do. I want to try Cosmelan and am going to a Spa near Chicago that offers Cosmelan among other treatments. Reading on this forum about versions of Cosmelan worries me as I seem to have an extremely treatment resistent case. Please e-mail me info on where I can get the old and apparently effective version of Cosmelan. My address:ganapath54@yahoo.com
Please help. Thanks.
Jay

NEW vs. OLD...
I did the OLD Cosmelan a year ago and it was fantastic. I bought the NEW off ebay, not realizing the formula had changed. I wish I'd read these posts before I bought it. I only just did the NEW C1 this morning, but I'm not red at all like I was when I did the OLD C1 a year ago. I'm very dissapointed. The OLD C1 gave me my face back and so much confidence. I am upset that I've spend the money on this product expecting it to be the same as the one I'd gotten a year ago, after all, it is the same name. If they changed it, they should have changed the name and informed consumers. I don't understand why they changed the formula when it used to work so well.
Please, if anyone knows where to get the OLD Cosmelan, please email me: lewmonst (at) hotmail.
Thanks.

Hi KJL,

Just curious have seen any improvements from doing the NEW Cosmelan? My friend did the new one she said it did work for her it just took a month to see results.

Justina