Age Spots

What causes skin Age Spots?

Age spots develop when the body produces too much melanin. The pigment melanin is what gives skin its colour.

The body produces additional melanin to shield the skin from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation when it is exposed to sunlight.

The skin gets darker as more melanin is generated.

Age spots develop when extra melanin in the skin congregates.

When excess melanin in the skin collects, age spots form.

ColorThe colour of age spots ranges from light brown to black. After a while in the light, they could become darker.

Texture The texture of the patches is identical to the rest of your skin. They generally show up on regions exposed to the sun. They don't hurt and are flat to the touch.

Size Age spots can be as small as a very small blemish or as large as an inch in circumference.

Grouping They might show up alone or in a group, which can draw additional attention to them.

Shape Age spots often have sharp edges and are oblong or circular in shape.

Treatment

Age spots don't pose any health risks, thus normally no treatment is required. Having said that, you might want to get age spots removed due to how they appear.

The following are some possible treatment options.

Prescription medications

Bleaching lotions may be recommended by a doctor to help ageing spots progressively vanish. These creams typically contain hydroquinone and retinoids like tretinoin if necessary.

Just remember that it typically takes these treatments many months to reduce age spots.

Also keep in mind that tretinoin creams and bleaching can make your skin more vulnerable to UV ray damage. Even on gloomy or overcast days, sunscreen should always be worn both during treatment and after.

Medical procedures

Age spots can be removed or reduced using a number of medical procedures, however these operations do have a chance of complications and adverse effects.

Inquire with a dermatologist, plastic surgeon, or other expert in skin care about the treatment that might be best for your skin.

Among the medical treatments for age spots are:

Wearing sunscreen after any skin treatments or procedures is equally vital as wearing sunscreen every day. In addition to shielding your skin from UV damage as it heals, sunscreen also helps stop age spots from reappearing.

Over-the-counter treatments

There are also many over-the-counter (OTC) lotions available that are touted as age spot treatments. Although they are not as potent as prescription creams, these creams could be able to help reduce excessive skin pigmentation.

In summary, it's typically ok to try them before scheduling a dermatologist appointment, but be aware that they might not be as successful as medical care.

Choose an OTC cream with one of the following ingredients if you want to use one of them:

Age spots cannot be removed by cosmetics, but they can certainly be covered up. Consult a cosmetics specialist, dermatologist, or plastic surgeon for advice on the best age spot concealing brands and products.