What Are Age Spots?

What Are Age Spots? They are small, flat dark areas on the skin. They vary in size and usually appear on areas exposed to the sun, such as the face, hands, shoulders and arms. Also called sunspots, liver spots and solar lentigines. These are prevalent in adults older than 50, but younger people can get them if they spend time in the sun.

Sunspots can look like cancerous growths. True liver spots don’t need treatment, but they signify the skin has received a lot of sun exposure and are an attempt by your skin to protect itself from more sun damage. For cosmetic reasons, they can be lightened or removed.

Symptoms.

What Are Age Spots? Consequently, they may affect people of all skin types, but they’re more common in adults with light skin. Unlike freckles, which are common in children and fade with no sun exposure, liver spots don’t fade.

Age spots are flat, oval areas of increased pigmentation. They are usually tan to dark brown. Occur on skin with the most sun exposure over the years, such as the backs of hands, tops of feet, face, shoulders and upper back. Range from freckle size to about 1/2 inch (13 millimetres) across. Can group, making them more noticeable.

Causes.

What Are Age Spots? Age spots are caused by overactive pigment cells. Ultraviolet (UV) light speeds up melanin production, a natural pigment that gives skin its colour. Age spots appear on the skin with years of sun exposure when melanin becomes clumped or produced in high concentrations. The use of commercial tanning lamps and beds also can cause age spots.

Risk factors.

You might be more likely to develop these spots if you: Have light skin. And have a history of frequent or intense sun exposure or sunburn. However, they are not dangerous if they are true liver spots.

Prevention.

What Are Age Spots? To help avoid these and new ones after treatment, follow these tips for limiting your sun exposure: Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Because the sun’s rays are most intense during this time, try to schedule outdoor activities for other times of the day.

Always use sunscreen. Fifteen to 30 minutes before going outdoors, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Apply sunscreen generously, and reapply every two hours — or more often if you’re swimming or perspiring.

Cover up. For protection from the sun, wear tightly woven clothing that covers your arms and legs and a broad-brimmed hat, which provides more protection than a baseball cap or golf visor. In addition, consider wearing clothing designed to provide sun protection. Look for clothes labelled with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 40 to 50 to get the best protection.

Diagnosis.

Diagnosing them might include Visual inspection. Your doctor can usually diagnose liver spots by looking at your skin. It’s important to distinguish liver spots from other skin disorders because the treatments differ, and using the wrong procedure may delay other needed therapy.

Skin biopsy. Your doctor might do other tests, such as removing a small skin sample for examination in a lab (skin biopsy). For example, a doctor can help distinguish an age spot from other conditions, such as lentigo-maligna, a type of skin cancer. A skin biopsy is usually done in a doctor’s office using a local anaesthetic.

Office Treatment

• Laser and intense pulsed light therapy. These treatments help destroy melanin-making cells (the cells that colour liver spots) without harming the skin’s surface.
• Freezing (cryotherapy) For this treatment, your doctor will apply liquid nitrogen or another freezing solution to your age spots using a cotton-tipped swab.
• Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion. Dermabrasion involves planning (sanding down) the surface layer of your skin with a fast-spinning brush.
• Chemical peel. During a chemical peel, your doctor will apply acid to your face, destroying the outer layer of your skin down to your age spots.
• Ekstata. This is an in-office treatment for age spots just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after a clinical trial.

How to remove Age Spots Naturally.

1. Aloe Vera:

This is actually one of the best tips on how to remove age spots naturally at home. That I would like to reveal in this article and I want you to learn and remember to apply as soon as possible. Aloe vera juice or gel is commonly used to treat several skin ailments, including age spots. Aloe Vera contains anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties that remove dead skin cells and encourage the growth of new healthy cells. The Reader’s Digest book, “1,801 Home Remedies: Trustworthy Treatments for Everyday Health Problems,” recommends using gel directly from the living plants if possible.

Simply rub a little fresh aloe vera onto the affected area and leave for at least 45 minutes. Repeat once or twice per day until you get the desired result. Drain the excess liquid from the leaf. If you do not have access to gel from aloe vera plants, you can buy fresh aloe vera at the market or health store, this works just as well. Aloe vera can be the good tip on how to remove age spots that you could apply.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar:

One of the most important ingredients in many home remedies including age spots is apple cider vinegar. It will help dry out and fade the spots faster. Apply a little apple cider vinegar directly onto the age spots and leave for 30 minutes before rinsing off. You should do this once daily for a few days or until you get a positive result.

Apple cider vinegar may be drying your skin. So then, you should notice an improvement in the appearance of the age spot after six weeks. If age spots have not disappeared completely but the spots have started to fade. However, keep repeating the process until they do.

For added benefit, mix a part of apple cider vinegar with onion juice by pushing chopped onion through a strainer to extract the juice and then apply this directly onto age spots. Apple cider vinegar is famous for its amazing benefits for skin care, including removing age spots, so try it!

3.  Buttermilk:

It contains lactic acid that bleaches the skin as the citric acid in lemon juice. Also gently exfoliating the pigmented and sun-damaged skin. Use a little buttermilk onto the age spots with a cotton ball and leave there for about 15 minutes to 30 minutes before rinsing with water as an old folk remedy on how to remove age spots naturally at home.

Notes: if you have oily or acne skin, you can add some lemon juice to the buttermilk which will prevent the skin from becoming greasy. For added benefit, you can mix four teaspoons of buttermilk with two teaspoons of tomato juice that contain bleaching properties and then apply the mixture to get a positive result in removing age spots. Repeat either of these remedies once or twice daily until you are satisfied with the result.

4.  Lemon Juice:

It is can be seen as the most common tip on how to remove age spots that you should apply. The acid in lemon juice has been shown to fade the appearance of age spots. Allow the lemon juice to remain for 30 minutes before rinsing with warm water. You can leave the juice on the skin overnight. Simply dab fresh lemon juice onto the spots at least twice daily for about two months to get the best result.

• Lemon juice makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight so make sure to wait for your skin dry if you have the plan to go outdoors.
• If you have sensitive skin, lemon juice may irritate your skin, so you can dilute lemon juice with water, rosewater or honey after applying.

5.  Castor Oil:

Its long been known as a general healing agent for skin problems. And has proven to be an effective tip on how to remove age spots. Simply rub the oil directly on affected skin areas, once in the morning and another in the evening. In about a month, you might see an improvement.

Notes: You can mix a little olive oil, coconut oil, and almond oil with castor oil for added moisture if you suffer from dry skin.

6. Yogurt And Honey:

One of the best ways how to remove age spots is an equal combination of honey and yoghurt. The yoghurt creates mild, natural bleach that may lighten skin spots when used regularly. Apply mixture directly onto age spots and leave for 20 minutes and then rinse clean with warm water. Repeat twice per day for the best result.

7. Pineapple:

It contains an enzyme called bromelain, which is a mild bleaching agent suitable for age spots. Rub a piece of fresh pineapple over age spots to gently lighten their appearance. In her book “Ageless Natural Beauty”, Sally Freeman recommends using at least once per day for the desired result. It is a simple tip on how to remove age spots that you could try.

8. Sandalwood:

Sandalwood has an effective anti-ageing property that is useful tip for removing age spots. You can make a homemade pack of a couple of drops of rose water with a pinch of sandalwood powder and lemon juice. Apply the paste directly on affected skin areas and leave it to dry for about 20 minutes before rinsing with cold water. Another option is to massage the aged spots with a drop of pure sandalwood mixed with one tablespoon of olive oil or almond oil, daily before going to bed and leave it on overnight. This is the last but the most useful tip on removing age spots that I would like to introduce to you and want you to remember to use.

Warning

You should remember to consult your physician before attempting to use these home remedies. While getting rid of age spots is possible, all mentioned natural cures take commitment and time to see the result. Moreover, many remedies work slowly, over time and you should notice an improvement in several days to a week, depending on the severity of the condition so you need to be patient to treat this stubborn condition. Do not give up! Let’s try one of these above remedies if it does not work, try another one. Besides home remedies, you should avoid exposure to sunlight, use sunscreen to prevent age spots from becoming dark spots and apply vitamin E oil to the skin to prevent the formation of age spots. It is best to check with a doctor if the spot is itchy or tender, and is getting bigger.

In Conclusion

The article today includes 8 useful tips on how to remove age spots that will be helpful for people. More especially those who are looking for natural ways to fade the appearance of age spots effectively. These tips are based on science so that you can apply them without worrying about side effects. Moreover, they are 100% natural so they do not threaten your body like using drugs, pills or medication.

Solar Lentigines, Liver Spots or Sun/Age Spots are not dangerous but might not look nice if visible, They can be treated in a doctor’s office, but that may be expensive. Home treatments are easy and cheap to administer, I have tried lemon juice, which makes them less visible, but I did not do that for long. I just wanted to see if it could work, and it did, but I only tried for a couple of days.

Important Note *

Remember that everyone is different, and it is ultimately YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to find what your body responds to… So please do your own due diligence before trying anything new, including getting Medical Advice to ensure your safety and peace of mind.

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