Three Ways To Diminish Age Spots On Your Face

As you age, you are likely to develop flat, darkened spots on your skin. Known as age spots or liver spots, these discolorations are harmless, though their appearance can be disheartening. If you want to diminish your age spots to restore a more youthful look, there are three main treatment approaches to try:

Natural Remedies

If your age spots are minor and you do not wish to use potentially harsh medications, you can start by trying natural remedies. Some women experience success with lemon juice. Try cutting open a lemon and dabbing the fresh juice on your age spots several times per day; it is said to bleach out the spots.

Another natural remedy to try is onion juice. Puree an onion in the blender, and then apply the juice to your spots before bedtime. After a few weeks, you may notice your spots beginning to fade. In conjunction with either of these treatments, make sure you're also applying sunscreen to your face each day. Sunlight accelerates the formation of age spots, so wearing your sunscreen should keep new ones from forming.

Over-the-Counter and Prescription Creams

There is a wide array of over-the-counter creams available for treating age spots. The easiest type to start with is probably a night cream, which you apply before going to sleep and leave on overnight. If you regularly wear makeup, consider switching to a foundation formula that contains medications to fight age spots. This way, you don't have to layer medication and foundation onto your face.

Give the over-the-counter age spot treatments about a month. If you don't notice a difference, talk to your dermatologist about prescription creams for age spots. These contain higher concentrations of retinoids, the active ingredients in age spot treatments, so they may work for tougher age spots that don't respond to the over-the-counter medications.

Laser Removal

If none of the above remedies fade your age spots to your satisfaction, consider visiting a dermatologist for a laser treatment. Laser treatments do cause some skin sensitivity and soreness, but they are effective in removing dark spots. The average session lasts between 15 minutes and an hour. You'll have to visit several times in order to fade your darkest spots, and stay out of the sun for about 6 weeks after treatment.

Once you start developing age spots, you will probably never have the face of a 20 or 30-year old again. However, you can improve your appearance. Experiment with the treatments above, starting with natural solutions and working toward laser treatment. Along the way, you're likely to find a solution that yields the results you can live with.

For more information, contact Appearance Dermatology or a similar location.


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