Tips for removing age spots
The uneven skin tone or pigmentation you notice on your skin is called age spots, liver spots or solar lentigo and are a consequence of sun exposure and the skin’s natural aging process because of the stimulation of excess skin pigment or melanin.
The main factors which trigger age spots are age and sun exposure or damage. These age spots are not restricted to only the facial area, but are also commonly seen on the shoulders, neck, décolletage, back of hands and practically on any sun-exposed areas.
Treatment options
You however need not worry if you have age spots as there are some very effective procedures which help address and treat all types of age spots on the body while ensuring permanent and targeted results. These procedures however cannot be done at home, but have to be performed by registered nurses or at least paramedically trained skin clinicians.
Photo rejuvenation
This is a very effective age spots treatment option which appears on various parts of the body. It is performed using intense pulsed light laser or IPL to absorb the melanin which appear in age spots. This light then converts into heat to damage the target cells without doing any harm or damage to the skin surface.
Once the age spots are treated, they tend to go darker and based on the body area, may fall off within 7 to 28 days or just gradually fade away. However photo rejuvenation is advised only for those with fair to olive complexion and not for those with dark to very dark skin.
Chemical peels
Light colored age spots are best treated using chemical peels. There are so many chemical peels specially formulated to help reduce age spots and even out your overall skin tone available while your skin remains hydrated.
Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
LLLT emits a gentle beam to the age spots to help to both reduce and control the formation of age spots without any heat or discomfort. LLLT works in the skin to balance both sun damaged cells and over-active melanocytes.
After care
However if you opt to undergo photo rejuvenation or chemical peel treatments, it’s important that you use a sunscreen every day. Its regular application helps prevent any further age spots from appearing.
It’s also proven helpful to use skincare products containing vitamin A and C as they help reduce the appearance of age spots.