Any chance of seeing what quality/lighting we are working with?
One thing that I do is layer a white layer over the photo and change my blend modes lightening up what I'm trying to lighten. If things get too washed out, I erase that part of the photo (white) so that it remains true to the light.
Like take for example, this photo on this layout -
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...do-you&cat=500
My son and I were almost the same color of the sofa because it was taken at night, without a flash. I've layered several layers of white over us and erased the background so that it didn't get any lighter, but we did and you could see the face and that it was two people on the sofa instead of a black, dark blob