Treating Age Spots

Photo Credit: GlobalHealthandFitness

All About Skin Lightening has been around for a year now and I cannot believe I haven't written an article on age spots. I've touched on this topic indirectly while discussing botanical skin lighteners, sunscreens and hydroquinone usage, but never have I given any expansive commentary on it. It's long overdue, so the time is now.

Age spots (or liver spots) are a form of sun induced hyperpigmentation. As we age, age spots become visible as all the sun damage begins to show. All sun damage is cumulative and shockingly, in majority of people, most of the heavy sun damage is acquired before the age of 20!

Age spots are the most common sign of sun damage. The enzyme tyrosinase over produces melanin in areas that were/are most prone to sun exposure (cheeks, nose, decloette, hands etc.) which leads to age spots.

Treating them is fortunatley a lot less difficult than other pigmentation issues since the root of the problem and various resources to correct the problem is well known to dermatologists. Tyrosinase inhibitors work exceptionally well at treating age spots, since stopping the initial formation of melanocytes can greatly reduce the amount of melanin that is transferred to other cells, resulting in fading of age spots.

If you are looking for a concise list of the various tyrosinase inhibitors out there (ingredients) please refer to the article I wrote, The Perfect Skin Lightening Regimen. I made a list of all common skin lightening ingredients and how each affects melanin.

There are products specifically designed for lightening age spots. I know a fantastic one from personal experience - the Neostrata Spot Lightener with gigawhite. This botanical spot lightener comes in a sponge tip applicator tube and is supposed to be directly applied to age spots as well as other dark spots. I used to apply it on my freckles and a few age spots I had on my decollete (I had HEAVY sun damage there from years of not using sunscreen and being out in the sun). Within 5 weeks the freckles I treated and the two age spots were GONE. Completley faded. Gigawhite is a great, very underrated skin lightening ingredient that is suprisingly only found in a few products unforutnatley.

I also heard of another one recently while reading a beauty magazine - Zax's Original Darkspot Cream. It's basically a botanical lightener (emollient one though judging by the inactive ingredients) that reduces the appearances of age/dark spots with Citrus Inshiu Peel Extract (strong antioxidant found in many asian brand skin whitening serums), niacinamide and licorice extract. It's always interesting to learn of a new botanical lightening product that is really inexpensive, if you are interested check out their site: http://www.darkspotcream.com/ 

Most botanical skin lightening serums that promise to lighten the overall complexion also lighten age spots as well. Many people wonder whether applying these lighteners will make a huge contrast from their 'regular' skin and age spots, but eventually the age spots will lighten and catch up in color to the rest of your skin.

Exfoliation always aids in making this happen faster. Alpha hydroxy acids like lactic acid, glycolic acid, mandelic acid, and malic acid work great at sloughing off dead melanin filled skin cells and to an extent inhibit tyrosinase. Specifically lactic, mandelic and malic acid do this.

I've found vitamin c (in the form of L-ascorbic acid) at 10-20% to work amazingly on localized regions of hyperpigmentation. I think most people who use great vitamin c serums can agree with this, since antioxidant acitivity affects melanin production immensly.

If you have age spots, before incorporating any treatments (skin lighteners, peels) I would advise to make a switch to higher PPD sunscreens. I cannot begin to comment on how many e-mails I've gotten where people tell me nothing is working for their hyperpigmentation or age spots, but only after switching to a higher PPD sunscreen they saw results. It's amazing and it makes sense, since the cause of age spots is from UVA/UVB rays. Protecting your skin not only prevents further darkening, but allows skin to lighten/heal.

I wanted to mention also that hormones have very little to do with age spot formation. Age spots are a sun damage issue. Other forms of hyperpigmentation such as larger surface areas of darker skin, dark acne marks and melasma are prime examples of hormonal pigmentation conditions.

Aside from general hyperpigmentation legions, age spots is the only other circumstance where I think hydroquinone can be used to achieve good results. Hydroquinone (2-4%) is designed to bleach localized regions and age spots are exactly this. In a regimen that has gentle, consistent exfoliation and high PPD sunscreen, hydroquinone can work REALLY well in fading age spots.