More often than not, the dark spots on your face and neck are solar lentigines. Commonly known as age spots, these areas of discoloration are often a product of sun exposure. As a way to protect the underlying layers of your skin from the damaging effects of the sun, your body produces additional melanin. Normally, this causes you to tan, but some of the melanin sticks together. Over time, this cluster accumulates more melanin, leading to a dark spot on the skin.
Step 1
Wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher whenever you're outdoors.Sun exposure can darken existing age spots and offset any steps you take to lighten the lentigines.
Step 2
Apply an over-the-counter fade cream to the dark spots once or twice a day. The MayoClinic.com suggests creams containing hydroquinone, kojic acid, glycolic acid or deoxyarbutin. It can take several weeks to months before results are noticeable.
Step 3
Talk to your dermatologist about a prescription fade cream. Topical prescriptions usually contain higher concentrations of hydroquinone. They may also contain retinoids, notes the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. Much like their OTC counterparts, topical prescriptions are applied to the age spots to fade them from the skin.
Step 4
Remove the age spots with a chemical peel. Professional peels burn off the surface layer of your skin to encourage the growth of new skin cells. With each treatment, the dark spots become less and less visible.
Step 5
Undergo dermabrasion to remove the solar lentigines. With this procedure, the epidermal layer of your skin is removed with a rotating brush. This encourages the growth of new skin cells that lack the extra melanin.
Step 6
Use cryotherapy. When liquid nitrogen is applied to the lentigines, it destroys the extra melanin, causing the spot to take on a hue similar to that of the surrounding skin.
Step 7
Fade the age spots with laser therapy, suggests MedlinePlus. Like liquid nitrogen, laser energy destroys the extra melanin and causes the spots to fade. More than one session is often necessary to provide desired results.
Tips and Warnings
- If you're unsure whether or not the dark spot is a solar lentigine, have the skin lesion looked at by a doctor or dermatologist.
- Cryotherapy can cause skin discoloration and scarring, warns the MayoClinic.com.
Things You'll Need
- Sunscreen
- OTC fade cream
- Prescription fade cream
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