How do I Remove Dark Age Spots?

Wear sunscreen to prevent dark age spots from forming on your skin.

Dark age spots are a form of hyperpigmentation that cause an uneven skin tone. They appear due to consistent exposure to the sun, which has caused damage in the pigment of the skin. Age spots are often seen on the hands, neck and face, which are the areas on the body that are most frequently exposed to the sun. Several treatments to remove dark age spots are available depending on your skin type, severity of the dark age spots and your budget.

Things You'll Need

• Hydroquinone facial cream

Instructions

1. Apply a hydroquinone facial cream daily to your dark age spots. These creams slowly inhibit the production of melanin in the skin and fade dark spots. It can take anywhere from three to six weeks to see changes. Hydroquinone creams can be applied twice a day, in the morning and at night before bed.

2. Visit a dermatologist or an esthetician to receive a microdermabrasion treatment. Microdermabrasion works to remove a very fine layer of skin and can lessen the color of dark spots. The tool that is used to perform microdermabrasion sandblasts the skin with aluminum oxide micro crystals. This treatment will improve cell turnover, which can help your skin to replace old skin cells with new pigmented cells. The deeper the dark skin cells are in your skin, the more treatments you will need to lessen the color. Most people see results after 10 to 12 treatments.

3. Receive a laser resurfacing from a dermatologist or esthetician, which can also lessen the color of dark age spots. Depending on how deep the dark skin cells are, it may take several treatments. However, you should see results immediately after one laser treatment. Laser resurfacing evaporates the top layers of the skin, allowing fresh skin to surface. This treatment can be used in addition to microdermabrasion or as a replacement if you have severe dark age spots.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear sunscreen everyday. Sunscreen is a preventative step that will help prevent further discoloration and other age spots from appearing. Apply sunscreen to all areas of the body that will be exposed to the sun. Forgetting to wear sunscreen after receiving hyperpigmentation treatments will create adverse effects.

References

• Skin Abrasion: Is Micro Dermabrasion Good for Hyperpigmentation?