Many people, especially as they age, suffer from dark spots on their skin. Dark spots, also known as hyperpigmentation, can occur anywhere on the skin, but are especially common on skin that frequently is exposed to the sun, such as the hands and face. Fortunately, there are many treatments for dark spots on the skin, including some at-home treatments and some that must be prescribed by a dermatologist.
Types
Several different types of dark spots can appear on the skin. The most common in younger people, especially those with light skin, are freckles. With continued sun damage, so-called "age spots," which look like large freckles, can appear, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). The sun also causes dark, scaly growths called actinic keratoses, which the AAD considers to be the earliest stage of skin cancer.
Prevention/Solution
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, you have to protect your skin from the sun to avoid getting dark spots. But once the dark spots appear, it is possible to treat them. Potential over-the-counter treatments include hydroquinone creams that bleach the skin and microdermabrasion kits that buff out the rough, dark spots. Prescription drug treatments include tretinoin, known as Retin-A. In a 1986 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers concluded that tretinoin can slow the skin's aging process and reverse some sun exposure damage, including dark spots.
More Solutions
Dermatologists also can treat dark spots on the skin with lasers or light therapy. Non-invasive lasers can "resurface" the skin, making dark spots less noticeable, the AAD says. In some patients, dermatologists recommend photodynamic therapy, which combines the use of lasers with a topical medication designed to enhance the laser's effects. Actinic keratoses can be treated with liquid nitrogen, which causes them to freeze and fall off. In addition, dermatologists might recommend a chemotherapy cream for actinic keratoses, according to the AAD.
Benefits
Treating dark spots on your skin can have many benefits. In addition to making your skin appear more even in color, many of the potential treatments have the side benefit of reducing wrinkles and improving collagen formation, leaving the skin firmer and younger-looking. For example, in addition to making dark spots less noticeable, Retin-A used over two years reduced wrinkles and mottled hyperpigmentation, according to a 2005 study from the University of Michigan.
Warning
Most dark spots on the skin are normal consequences of aging and can be treated relatively simply---or even left alone, if you don't mind their appearance. But if your "dark spot" is a mole, especially if it has appeared recently and is growing, is asymmetric in shape, contains several colors and has irregular borders, have it checked out by a dermatologist immediately, the AAD says. It could be skin cancer and might be melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. If caught early, melanoma can be treated successfully, the AAD says.
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