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Age Spots, Dark Spots – Causes and Fixes

What are these age and dark spots, and what are they not?

Age spots and dark spots are both forms of hyperpigmentation, where certain areas of the skin appear darker than the rest.
These spots can vary from dot size to slightly smaller patches.

Sometimes, these patches can be slightly larger than usual. They usually occur in the forehead, chin, or cheek areas and are much larger than age spots or dark patches. This could be melasma. The reason for this is more than just hyperpigmentation. They occur because of changes in the body. While some off-the-shelf skincare products can help, visiting a doctor for a complete cure is essential.

Please remember the following information:
Some spots on the skin can be cancerous. We will not discuss these spots here. If you notice these spots, please leave this website and consult your doctor. These spots typically appear suddenly and change shape constantly. At times, liquid may ooze out of them. However, these are just general guidelines and are not the complete criteria for identifying these cancerous spots or patches. If you suspect that it is something more severe than hyperpigmentation, please visit a doctor as soon as possible.

What are the most common types of these spots?

Dark spots and age spots are common skin blemishes. They can appear as dots, spots, or minor patches and are all caused by hyperpigmentation.

Sometimes, these spots might not even be visible to the naked eye but will give the face a dull look. This is actually the most common type.

Here is the good news…
These can be prevented easily by using the right off-the-shelf skincare products.

If you miss preventing it, if it’s in the early stages, you can still reduce their appearance or eliminate them by using the right off-the-shelf skincare products.

Professional intervention is necessary for blemishes in the mature stage or deeper layers of skin. Procedures like skin needling can only be performed by cosmetic professionals and should not be attempted at home.

What causes these spots?

When skin gets inflammed, a specific type of skin cells in the deeper layer of the skin starts producing a pigment called melanin.

Melanin is the skin’s defence mechanism. Hence, it will continue producing as much melanin as it can.

The darker your skin, the more melanin you can produce. However, much of this melanin is surplus. While melanin is a protective agent, it can only provide a certain level of protection. Any melanin produced beyond this level is considered surplus.

Since darker-skin-toned people have a higher ability to produce melanin, they make much excess melanin. This excess melanin deposits itself in cells and shows up as pigmentation (dark spots, age spots, and small patches).

How do you prevent/eliminate them?

It is much easier to prevent these than to eliminate them. Once the spots/patches become visible to the naked eye, eliminating them is expensive and challenging.

I will explain below the four types of skincare products you need to use regularly to prevent them. If these become visible and are in the early stages, the below skincare type can still help. Once they have been on the skin for a while (more than three months), you will need cosmetic intervention by a professional.

The must: There are no compromises here. Sunscreen!
Sunscreens absorb the harmful UV radiation from the sun and don’t let it affect your skin.

Here are some important reminders about sunscreen:
1. You must reapply sunscreen regularly, at least every two hours. Not reapplying is the same as not having sunscreen after a while.
2. Remember to wear sunscreen even when you’re indoors. UV radiation from the sun can penetrate through glass, so always protecting your skin is essential.
3. Use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30.
4. If you apply skincare, apply sunscreen on top of the skincare. If you use makeup, apply makeup first and then apply sunscreen on top of the makeup.
Anti-inflammatory skincare products: These reduce skin inflammation. Remember that skin is often inflammed, and not all inflammation is visible.
It’s crucial to understand that inflammation leads to pigmentation. Inflammation triggers an overproduction of the pigment melanin, which then deposits itself on the skin, causing pigmentation, dark spots, and age spots/patches.
Antioxidant skincare products help combat harmful molecules on the skin known as free radicals. These free radicals are generated on the skin frequently as a result of exposure to pollution, UV radiation from the sun, and environmental irritants. These harmful molecules can damage healthy cells and contribute to skin ageing. When free radicals appear on the skin, the skin responds by producing melanin. In some individuals, an excess amount of melanin is produced based on their skin tone, leading to pigmentation issues. Therefore, it’s important to regularly neutralize these free radicals, and only antioxidant skincare products can effectively do that.
Finally, anti-pigment skincare products target melanin production. They interfere with melanin production and thus reduce it. However, they only limit the excess production of melanin; they can’t reduce the required amount.

Make sure to remember the following information:
Sunscreen is essential and should always be used.
The other three types should be used regularly, at least every other day. All three types are necessary to effectively reduce and prevent pigmentation and will help alleviate the pigmentation pressure on your skin.

The darker your skin tone, the higher the requirement for the second to the fourth types of skincare products.

The first is a must for everyone – irrespective of your skin tone.