Age, acne and picking the face can cause hyperpigmentation or ‘dark spots’ as they’re sometimes known and can cause you to need to reach for your dark spot treatment. They’re most often referred to as age spots, even though age isn’t the only reason they occur.
Melanin is the carbon-based pigment that provides color to our eyes, hair and skin and when it accumulates in excess, those tell-tale dark areas are the result. They’re not a cause of concern in terms of health, but some choose to cover them up for cosmetic reasons.
So, What Are Age Spots?
Age spots can come up anywhere on the skin and a person’s unique skin type will determine exactly how they look. Their texture is rarely uniform, however, there’s not usually any pain associated with them when they appear.
Getting rid of them is typically quite a slow process with your average dark spot treatment taking around 3 months to remove all signs. The deeper the pigment, the longer it will take, extending those 3 months to years in some cases.
What Exactly Causes These Dark Areas?
There are a number of root causes behind age spots, as the body’s biggest organ has to cope with quite a lot during our lives. Those causes include:
The good news is age spots are relatively simple to deal with. Lightening and in many cases, removing the spots can be achieved through the use of dermatological creams. You can get laser dark spot treatment procedures done, of course, however they tend to be quite a bit more expensive than creams and can lead to side effects of their own like blistering and tenderness.
Damage from the Sun
Also described as liver spots or sunspots, age spots can occur when your skin becomes exposed to the UV rays either from the sun or from time spent at the tanning salon. Your arms, hands and face are the parts of the body that get the most exposure to the sun and these are the areas that usually need treating.
Changes In Your Hormone Levels
A dark spot treatment can also be required because of hormonal changes in the body. Particularly affecting pregnant women, skin conditions like melasma can lead to discoloration of the skin which can be triggered by pronounced fluctuations in hormones like oestrogen and progesterone.
Side Effects from Medication
Another reason why age spots can occur is when the body reacts to particular medications. This most often happens when tetracyclines, psychotropic drugs and NSAID medications are used.
Inflammation, Wounds & Irritation
Inflammation, irritation and damaged skin can lead to age spots, with acne, psoriasis and eczema also known to cause them. Certain cosmetics can irritate your skin if they’re not suitable, which again can lead to dark areas.
A Dark Spot Treatment Is a Painless Way to Deal With the Problem
The good news is age spots are relatively simple to deal with. Lightening and in many cases, removing the spots can be achieved through the use of dermatological creams. You can get laser dark spot treatment procedures done, of course, however they tend to be quite a bit more expensive than creams and can lead to side effects of their own like blistering and tenderness.
Age spots can come up anywhere on the skin and a person’s unique skin type will determine exactly how they look. Their texture is rarely uniform, however, there’s not usually any pain associated with them when they appear.
Getting rid of them is typically quite a slow process with your average dark spot treatment taking around 3 months to remove all signs. The deeper the pigment, the longer it will take, extending those 3 months to years in some cases.
Then there are other treatments like microdermabrasion, chemical peels and cryotherapy to choose from, with the ideal treatment depending on where the age spots are and what caused them. Most of these techniques involve helping the body to create new skin cells and ridding the skin of old, dead skin.
For me, gradual lightening is best, combined with exfoliation to eliminate this particular skin issue, as when used together on a regular basis, your age spots should be much reduced before you know it. Just remember to be patient, as the results will come with time.
