You don’t have to put up with age spots

You may think of age spots as an inevitable and very unattractive sign of skin aging.

For most of us those little brown patches that pop up on our hands, arms and chest are very unwelcome visitors from our thirties and forties onwards.

But did you know that age spots aren’t really a result of aging? And if you’ve got them there are things you can do to get rid of them and stop them coming back

So if you’ve always hated those little brown marks – here’s some essential facts about age spots to put you in the picture.

For some of us age spots happen as early as thirty, others don’t see age spots appear until their later forties and into their fifties. As you increase the sun exposure to your skin over the years, you become more prone to age spots, so it may take a while for them to develop.

Heavy sun exposure, more delicate or more susceptible skin will result in earlier age spots. What is fairly certain though is that somewhere along the line, you will see the results of sun damage in your face and body – and it may not be pretty.

Contrary to popular belief, age spots are not just a result of living longer. They are the visible effects of sun damage – if you lived to be 100 years old and had never been exposed to the sun, you would not develop age spots.

The more sun damage or sun exposure you’ve had – the more likely age spots will emerge. Age spots do show up more as you get older – just because you have lived longer and been exposed to the sun for longer. Genetics also matter – age spots seem to be more likely if you have parents that have had them.

Most age spots are painless and harmless, so there’s no need to worry about them as a health risk.

On the other hand – most of us hate the look of sun spots because we associate them with aging skin. Age spots make us feel worse about the way we look and nothing adds more years than lack of confidence in our looks.

Don’t put up with age spots if you are unhappy – taking action to deal with something so apparently trivial as age spots can be a huge boost to your self esteem.

To start with, you may want to consider a fade cream which is simply a topical anti aging skin treatment that contains a skin lightening agent. In America this is often hydroquinone but in Europe hydroquinone is not an approved ingredient and so natural alternatives like liquorice extract are often used.

Increasingly – topical remedies are based on retinol, vitamin C or glycolic acids at high levels to help lessen the sun spot’s appearance over time

The effect of a skin lightening cream or fade cream will be gradual so they become less noticeable over time. The effect of a good fade cream will be greater if combined with other anti aging products – face serums or skin peels and exfoliants which all work together to reduce the age spots.

Quality brands like skinceuticals, Skin Medica and Obagi sell high strength products in kits which are a very effective way of repairing and restoring sun damaged skin.

More radical measures include chemical peels or microdermabrasion. Increasingly laser treatments are seen as the best way of dealing with extensive or deep sun spots.

Lasers offer a highly effective form of treatment for age spots.  Laser resurfacing works in a simular way to a chemical peel by removing the outer layers of skin and the age spots. Laser resurfacing is also likely to be much more long term than a chemical peel but it will cost you.

Spending money on effective treatment to remove age spots is well worth it – but don’t forget to protect your skin from further sun damage.

Apply an anti aging sun block before heading outdoors – whatever the weather. Look out for anti aging moisturizers and make up with as high an SPF as you can get and make sure your sun block has both UVA and UVB protection.

So – the message is clear – you don’t have to put up with your age spots unless you choose to.  And once you’ve dealt with age spots – protection from further sun damage is vital.

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