No More Age Spots

Age spots make the skin look aged and damaged. But the good news is that they are harmless and quite easy to remove. Minoo Verma tells more

Despite their name, “age spots” they do not have anything to do with age at all. These unsightly brown, freckle like spots appear due to excessive sun exposure —most commonly on the face, hands, and shoulders.

Due to overexposure to sun rays the skin pigments (melanin) gets accumulated in particular areas of the face, hands, legs, shoulders, upper back, forearms and back of hands, in other words, the typically exposed areas of the body. They are, therefore, also clinically referred to as “solar lentigines.”

Avoid sun

When going out in the sun becomes necessity, wear a broad-spectrum (UVB/UVA) sunscreen to guard your skin. Sunscreens rated at 30SPF or higher provide the strongest defense against sun-related tissue damage

Since most exposure to harmful sun rays occurs while driving, it is advisable to install a protective film on the glasses to block UVB rays. Glass already protects from 100% of UVA.

Seen primarily among people of fairer complexions, age spots, also known as sun spots, are fairly easy to remove. There are several creams and lotions available in the market that help fade or remove them altogether. You can even try INOSITOL 15 ml tube to fade these signs of ageing.

If the condition is severe one must go for the Laser treatment.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy has been proved to be the most effective for diminishing age, liver, sun or brown spots on the skin. This process uses a sensitive laser to burn off the spots. As melanin is designed to absorb light, it makes this therapy all the more effective in improving the texture and colour of the skin tone. There are many different lasers that can be used to fade age spots depending on the severity of your condition. Lasers, like the CO2 laser for example, are best at penetrating deep enough to remove age spots, long standing wrinkles and skin discoloration all during only one or two treatments. This resurfacing is so-called because the laser removes the epidermis skin.

The treatment may require two or more sessions to completely eliminate the spots depending on the area and number. The process usually takes less than an hour. Pain is minimal.

“I use Intense pulsed light (IPL) IPL system for removing these spots. This light therapy penetrates deeper into the skin than a non-ablative laser. It is highly effective with no downtime. I also use CO2 laser to ablade minor lesions. It takes most sun spots away that are at a certain depth”, says Dr. Dhruv Gupta, dermatologist, Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon.

Chemical peels and microdermabrasion are other methods for removing age spots and improving the appearance of the skin.

A chemical solution is applied to the skin, which causes it to peel away, revealing an even and a youthful skin. Chemical peels are made up of solutions like glycolic acid, phenol (carbolic acid), salicylic acid, or trichloroacetic acid.

Microdermabrasion polishes and suctions away the affected area and stimulates cell and collagen growth. The process approximately takes 30 to 60 minutes. For best results four to 12 treatments are recommended, at two week to one month interval.

Healthy lifestyle

Eat the right kind of food, quit smoking and excessive drinking to help your digestive system perform better. A healthy lifestyle goes a long way in reducing the chances of a number of ailments including age spots. Since sun is the root cause, invest in a good sunblock . And if you have been using a sunblock and brown spots still persist, it perhaps is an indication that you need to change the product. If nothing helps, see a dermatologist before it turns into a more serious skin condition. It is imperative to have any new lesion or spot checked by a dermatologist to ensure it is benign.

*Age spots are caused due to extreme sun exposure. Apply sunscreen liberally when out in the sun. It is the best way to prevent sun damage and all the related ills caused by it.

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