The Whitening Boom.

Here's an article on skin-whitening products and procedures by Dr. Steven KW Chow which appeared in the Star's Sunday Health pullout. On the most important part of a "whitening" regimen, he says:

There is not enough emphasis that the single most important item is a product that block UVs rays, ie the sun blocks and the sunscreens. They are more essential than all the other functional cosmetics that are intended for wrinkle elimination, whitening, etc. They are often neglected as they have become so common.

For those who treasure a light skin, it is recommended that you develop a habit of carrying sufficient amounts of a UV blocking product in your bag and to reapply it on the skin regularly, as most of the UV blocking products will remain effective for just two or three hours.

There you have it. The secret to fairer skin is sunblock, sunblock and more sunblock.