What Are Age Spots?
Age spots are brown spots or dark spots on your skin caused by an excess of melanin or pigment. Too much sun exposure causes the smaller spots to clamp together and form what looks like a more prominent spot.
They are additionally known as liver spots. The good news is that they have absolutely no connection to the liver and are not indicative of any liver disease or damage. Neither are they any indication of skin cancer or cancerous growths.
The formal name for sunspots is solar lentigines.
Where Do Age Spots Appear?
Age spots can be found all over the body, although most usual on the hands and face. Other places that they appear are on the forehead, upper arms, and occasionally on the legs.
Apart from cosmetic reasons, there is no reason to have age spot treatment removed or seek medical attention. If they don’t bother you, then you are best to leave them.
If you do want to remove your age spots, then here are several ways that you can do that:
How To Remove Age Spots With Cream
Age spot removers work by evening out your skin color so that the spots become invisible. A cream or serum won’t work for everybody as it depends on how deep your age spots are. If you are in doubt, see a dermatologist who will advise you whether a cream will be sufficient.
Which Cream Should You Choose?
It is essential that you choose the correct cream for your treatment as some will cause you to have dry skin or make your skin peel. Ingredients like hydroquinone have come under a lot of scrutinies recently. It is an organic chemical, and although there is nothing inherently wrong with it, it could cause rashes on some skin.
The main ingredient that you should avoid is mercury. Mercury is harmful to your skin, and although in many countries (including the US), it is tightly controlled, there are still removal creams on the shelves of stores that contain it. You should be able to tell by looking at the ingredients. You should avoid other ingredients as they may contain mercury: calomel, cinnabar, hydrargyri oxydum rubrum, quicksilver.
The best age spot removal creams will be of very light color and won’t contain fragrance. If you find that the color is greyish, then you are advised to avoid it.
A particularly active ingredient is niacinamide. It doesn’t dry out the skin, and the treatment works quickly. You can find our favorite age spot fading cream here.
Concealing Brown Spots With Makeup
Before applying anything to your skin, you should make sure that your skin is clear. Don’t worry about using expensive products on your face at this point. Washing with warm water and a bar of gentle soap is all that is required. When drying your skin to prep the general area, dab the area with a clean towel rather than scrubbing it.
Ensure to use SPF 15+ for sun protection
Apply a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 15 in order to negate any sun damage or UV rays on damaged skin. While this will not eliminate current age spots, it might soften their appearance, and it will also stop even more skin damage. This is important for both your health and the way that you look.
You must prep your skin before applying makeup. Primer is even more essential for older women because it softens out wrinkles and fine lines, giving you a more even area to work with and giving you an extra layer, which helps conceal the age spots.
Next, apply a high-quality concealer to your age spots. Use your finger to apply the concealer, dabbing gently before using a makeup brush to blend the concealer slightly and smooth the area in general.
TIP: Use a foundation that matches your skin tone and also one that has a high SPF.
Use a foundation brush or beauty blender to apply the product and blend it over your face as required. You don’t need to pay particular attention to the age spots because you have already use concealer to cover them.
Some people like to apply powder after this step, although it’s not necessary. Your age spots should already be covered now, and your skin should already be looking much better. Carry on with your makeup routine as you usually would.
Conclusion
Taking care of your skin is so important, and getting rid of age spots will take years off your appearance and generally leave you feeling more confident in the way you look.