How Can You Fade Age Spots and Dark Spots Naturally?

 

One of the drawbacks of the aging process on your skin can be the appearance of age spots and dark spots.

These can appear on the face, on the hands and elsewhere.

While the pigment in your skin is produced by melanin, any exposure to ultraviolet or UV light accelerates melanin production. At the same time, the aging process itself can also increase the production of melanin.

Age spots are also known as liver spots or sun spots.

What causes age spots to appear?

• First and foremost, too much exposure to the sun.  While sunlight is very beneficial helping to increase your vitamin D levels, over exposure can lead to sunburn.  Ideally, you should protect those vulnerable areas (the face and the hands) by keeping them shaded from the sun.
• Another cause can be a selenium deficiency. Selenium is an essential trace mineral that plays an important role in protecting cells from free radicals. Raw Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium.
• A further cause can be a deficiency in potassium which can be avoided by including potassium-rich foods in your diet - apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, dates, figs, kiwi fruit and melons.

A healthier lifestyle will always help with improving any type of unwanted condition so, along with those fresh fruits, include as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible while making sure to drink plenty of pure, filtered water to keep the system cleansed.

Always make a conscious effort to avoid or eliminate processed foods, junk and fast foods, sodas, sweets, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.

Should age spots or dark spots be checked by your doctor?

Age spots are usually harmless but, with any skin condition that changes in appearance, it is advisable to have these changes examined by a dermatologist or doctor.

For example, age spots becoming irregularly shaped, itchy, tender or even growing larger should be checked.

An unusual combination of colors is something else to look out for. Common in age spots is dryness, roughness and even thinning of the skin where they occur. If your medical practitioner is worried that a dark area is not an age spot, he/she may perform a biopsy. A small piece of skin will be removed and checked for any abnormalities.

How can you fade these age spots and dark spots naturally?

Many people find age spots unsightly and would like to have them removed, particularly when there is dryness, roughness and even thinning of the skin at the site of the age spot. You don't have to live with age spots if you would rather not.

There are several methods for such removal.  These include:

1.  Intense-pulsed light (IPL) is one effective option of age spots as it destroys the pigment, causing the age spot to turn darker and fall off after about week.  While it is virtually pain free, it may require up to four sessions for the best results.

2.  Cryotherapy is suitable for single age spots or small clusters where liquid nitrogen is applied to the skin to freeze and destroy the pigment-making cells, causing the spots to flake off.  Again, several treatments may be necessary.

3.  Chemical peels involve the dermatologist applying an acid to the affected area to burn the outer layer of skin.  As this layer sheds and peels, a new and healthier layer will form with the depth and frequency depending on the severity of the age spots and the type of acid used in the procedure.

4.  Laser treatments use extremely shot pulses to break down melanin pigment into tiny particles so that it can be eliminated naturally by the body.  Although painless, it can be a costly process and can carry the risk of post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.

5.  Over-the-counter or prescription bleaching creams.  These are not recommended because of their harshness to skin and even dangerous toxins.  Bleaching creams usually take several months to fade age spots. During this time of use, your skin will be even more sensitive to UV damage.

Some women will use cosmetics to successfully conceal age spots but it is recommended to use as natural a product as possible.

And if we are talking about natural - what could be more natural than H-Age Spots Formula to diminish the appearance of age spots quickly by evening out skin tone and working to fade those dark spots.  The formula has the highest quality homeopathic ingredients and natural essential oils (extracted from plants), allowing for deep penetration and to assist in balancing skin tone to get a more even tone without the use of harmful additives or chemicals.

It is not just our faces, our hands are vulnerable for age spots too

Our hands are always on show, always working and always in need of some tender loving care.

And those age spots which can appear as we grow older (especially over the age of forty) are something that we would prefer to be without. One way to prevent age spots is to use sunscreen on the back of your hands - regularly - but do look for a natural sunscreen.  This should help to keep your hands looking younger for longer.

How to prevent or get rid of age spots on your hands?

Listed above are several methods which can be used on age spots wherever they appear but here are a couple of natural remedies which can be used on the hands:

1. Lemon juice is well known for its lightening properties.  Take a lemon and squeeze the juice into a bowl before soaking a cotton ball in the juice.  Apply to the pigmented areas and leave for about twenty minutes.  Rinse off with water and keep repeating for a couple of weeks until  liver spots fade.  Do a patch test first to check for an irritation.

2. Aloe Vera is another suggestion.  You can get a fresh aloe Vera leaf, cut it from the middle and squeeze out the gel which can be applied to the area with age spots.  Leave for some twenty minutes before washing off with water.  Use every second day.  The gel is usually available from health stores if you don't have access to fresh leaves - and will nourish the skin at the same time.  Again, a patch test first is advisable.

3.  And of course not forgetting H-Age Spots Formula for the hands too, designed to go to work naturally with its pure blend of established ingredients to diminish the appearance of age spots quickly by evening out your skin tone and working to fade those dark spots. 

Why astaxanthin is an important anti-aging tool

In the natural world, astaxanthin is found in algae, fish, krill oil, lobsters, crab, crawfish and salmon but if you are not a great seafood eater from sustainable and safe sources, you might be deficient in this nutrient.

Fortunately, it is possible to include it your diet in the form of a supplement. In case you are wondering, astaxanthin is pronounced “asta-ZAN-thin”.

Astaxanthin is especially important for both males and females to use as they grow older and there are several reasons for this…

Firstly, while we have written many posts on the necessity for maintaining high vitamin D levels (including as part of an anti-aging strategy), astaxanthin is an excellent adjunct to vitamin D, acting as an internal sunscreen when it helps to protect the skin from all types of radiation.

Secondly, studies have also shown that astaxanthin works to rejuvenate the skin. Two such studies worked with with females first and then males where they were given a daily dose of 6mg astaxanthin for several weeks. They all showed improvement in the different areas of skin health including:

• Crow's feet wrinkle size and elasticity
• Age spot size
• Moisture content and loss
• Skin texture and
• Sebum oil level

The researchers concluded that astaxanthin could well improve the skin condition in men as well as women.

Thirdly, a further anti-aging tool is for improved eye health. Astaxanthin crosses the blood-eye barrier, supporting vascular health within the eye while protecting the eyes’ sensitive cells.

Of course, no supplement or ingredient is ever a magic and isolated aging preventative. It has to be in tandem with living an all-around-healthy and active lifestyle. 

This link will take you to health articles including on the subject of age spots while if you go here, you will be taken to our gallery of images showing the different conditions that can be helped by products from Healing Natural Oils.

 

 

Sources

Lee NC. (2015). 6 tips for healthy aging.
womenshealth.gov/blog/healthy-aging-tips. (Accessed February, 5 2021)

American Academy of Dermatology. How do dermatologists treat warts?. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/contagious-skin-diseases/. (Accessed February 8, 2021)

Microdermabrasion. American Academy of Dermatology. https://www.aad.org/cosmetic/age-spots-marks/microdermabrasion-overview. (Accessed February 8, 2021)