Age spots also called liver spots and solar lentigines

Age spots — also called liver spots and solar lentigines — are flat gray, brown or black spots. They vary in size and usually appear on the face, hands, shoulders and arms — areas most exposed to the sun. 

Though age spots are very common in adults older than age 40, they can affect younger people as well.

True age spots are harmless and don't need treatment, but they can look like cancerous growths. For cosmetic reasons, age spots can be lightened with skin-bleaching products or removed. However, preventing age spots — by avoiding the sun and using sunscreen — may be the easiest way to maintain your skin's youthful appearance and to avoid these dark skin spots.

Age spots typically develop in people with a fair complexion, but they can be seen in those with darker skin.

Age spots:

• Are flat, oval areas of increased pigmentation
• Are usually brown, black or gray
• Occur on skin that has had the most sun exposure over the years, such as the backs of hands, tops of feet, face, shoulders and upper back
• Age spots range from freckle-size to more than a half inch (1 centimeter) across and can group together, making them more prominent.

You may not like the way they look, but age spots are usually harmless and don't require medical care. However, your doctor should evaluate spots that are dark or have changed in appearance, because these changes can be signs of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.

It's best to have any new skin changes evaluated by a doctor, especially if a spot or lesion:

• Is darkly pigmented
• Is rapidly increasing in size
• Has an irregular border
• Has an unusual combination of colors
• Is accompanied by itching, redness, tenderness or bleeding

Causes
Age spots are caused primarily by years of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. The use of commercial tanning lamps and tanning beds can also contribute to the development of age spots.

The pigment in the upper layer of skin (epidermis) that gives your skin its normal color is called melanin. UV light accelerates the production of melanin, creating a tan that helps protect deeper layers of skin from UV rays.

On areas of the skin that have years of frequent and prolonged sun exposure, age spots appear when melanin becomes "clumped" or is produced in particularly high concentrations. In addition to sun exposure, simply becoming older can cause the extra production of melanin.

Your genetic makeup may also play a role in how susceptible you are to the development of age spots.

L'Oreal Nadinola Skin Discoloration Fade Cream, Extra Strength Formula

** Highly recommended **

Gradually fades skin discolorations such as:

• Age spots
• Freckles
• Liver spots
• Dark areas that can occur while using oral contraceptives

Active Ingredients: Hydroquinone (3% skin lightener), Octisalate (3% sunscreen)

Best place to buy:

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1. drugstore.com  $9.99
2. amazon.com $23.37 for a 3-pack

Customer reviews:

• This is the BEST over-the-counter cream for fading brown spots that I have ever used (I previously tried much-pricier lotions from Clinique and Kiehls that did nothing). You must give it one month to see results--after two months, I see a huge difference in my facial sun spots. 
• I use this product at night. I decided to try it because the prescription fading cream I was using, Triluma ($145. a tube), was unavailable due to a long term packaging issue. At bed time, I wash my face, I apply Nadinola, wait about thirty minutes and then apply the Neutrogena cream with retinol in it. I am getting very good results and for [$], you cannot do any better in my opinion.

available on Amazon.com $23.37 for a 3-pack

Active Ingredients: Hydroquinone (3% skin lightener), Octisalate (3% sunscreen)

Inactive Ingredients: Water, Mineral (Paraffinum Liquidum) Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Decyl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Oleth 20, Laureth 23, Propylene Glycol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Citric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite, Propylparaben, Fragrance (Parfum)


Warning: contains Hydroquinone and parabens

InStyle : Best age-spot treatment

Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, £38, Clinique

“This is highly effective at brightening skin, but it’s gentle, so it doesn’t irritate,” says make-up artist Jemma Kidd.

What it is:
A clinically proven serum that visibly reduces dark spots, age spots, and traces of acne past.

What it is formulated to do:
This lightweight, layerable serum effectively evens skintone. Dermatologists formulated it to be highly effective—yet safe and comfortable. According to clinical trials, this product delivers results comparable to a leading prescription ingredient.

What else you need to know:
Notice results in as little as four weeks. At 12 weeks, see a visible reduction in dark spots, age spots, and traces of acne damage. Appropriate for all skin types and ethnicities, even sensitive skins that may not tolerate other skin tone treatments.

Research Results:
In clinical trials, this dermatologist-developed serum was comparable to a leading prescription ingredient in evening skin tone, including a verified 53% improvement in skintone.

ingredients: water\aqua\eau ,dimethicone ,isododecane ,cyclopentasiloxane ,polysilicone-11 ,butylene glycol ,ascorbyl glucoside ,peg-10 dimethicone ,curcuma longa (turmeric) root extract ,oryza sativa (rice) bran extract ,citrus grandis (grapefruit) peel extract ,hordeum vulgare (barley) extract\extrait d'orge ,triticum vulgare (wheat) germ extract ,betula alba (birch) bark extract ,cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract ,dimethoxytolyl propylresorcinol ,scutellaria baicalensis root extract ,morus bombycis (mulberry) root extract ,trametes versicolor extract ,saccharomyces lysate extract ,yeast extract\faex\extrait de levure ,peg-6 ,tromethamine ,salicylic acid ,polysorbate 20 ,cholesterol ,isohexadecane ,propylene glycol dicaprate ,helianthus annuus (sunflower) seedcake ,caffeine ,tocopheryl acetate ,acetyl glucosamine ,simethicone ,glycyrrhetinic acid ,polysorbate 80 ,sodium hyaluronate ,di-c12-18 alkyl dimonium chloride ,sodium rna ,squalane ,sodium sulfite ,sodium metabisulfite ,caprylyl glycol ,hexylene glycol ,ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer ,acrylamide/sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate copolymer ,disodium edta ,phenoxyethanol ,yellow 6 (ci 15985) ,yellow 5 (ci 19140)

Age Spots : Is There Anything I Can Do To Remove Them?

Age spots are irregular brown or red blotchy, irregular pigmented areas that occur over time and with exposure to the sun and elements. They can arise at any age, and tend to increase in size and color as they progress. They are also one of the main signs of aging on the skin.

Once you develop age spots there are certain treatments that can help improve their appearance and help them to fade. You can come to the dermatologist's office and we can give you topical medicines that contain an acid called tretinoin or that contain vitamin C and E, used in combination. Also, in the dermatologist's office we can treat your age spots with a product we call liquid nitrogen. This is a light, freezing process that helps the pigment normalize.

There are certain lasers that we use in the dermatology office that can help improve the appearance of age spots, and there are chemical peels which are mild that can also do the same. With regards to age spots I like to tell my patients that prevention is worth a pound of cure and that prevention is actually the best treatment for age spot development. This includes using a sunscreen when outdoors and trying to avoid ultraviolet light.

If you're concerned about vitamin D supplementation, simply do so in a well-rounded diet or with a vitamin. And, of course, smoking is bad for your overall health, but it's also very important for the health of your skin. And it also accelerates photoaging -- so please don't smoke and also try to avoid second- and third-hand smoke when possible.

Age spot treatments include:

1. Medications. Prescription bleaching creams (hydroquinone) used alone or with retinoids (tretinoin) and a mild steroid may gradually fade the spots over several months. Sun protection with a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 is strongly advised if you use medication treatments. The treatments may result in temporary itching, redness, burning or dryness.
2. Laser therapy. Laser therapy destroys melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) without damaging the skin's surface. Treatments with a laser typically require several sessions. After treatment, age spots fade gradually over several weeks or months. Laser therapy has few side effects, but it may result in slight discoloration of the skin.
3. Freezing (cryotherapy). This procedure involves applying liquid nitrogen or another freezing agent to the age spots to destroy the extra pigment. As the area heals, the skin appears lighter. Freezing is typically used on a single age spot or a small grouping of age spots. The treatment may temporarily irritate the skin and poses a slight risk of permanent scarring or discoloration.
4. Dermabrasion. This procedure consists of sanding down (planing) the surface layer of your skin with a rapidly rotating brush. This procedure removes the skin surface, and a new layer of skin grows in its place. Temporary redness and scab formation can result from this treatment.
5. Chemical peel. A chemical peel involves applying an acid, which burns the outer layer of your skin, to the age spots. As your skin peels, new skin forms to take its place. Several treatments may be necessary before you notice any results. Sun protection is strongly advised following this treatment. Temporary irritation is likely, and there's a slight risk of discoloration.

Dr. Fred Summit Skin Whitener Tone and Bleach Cream

• Complexion beautifier
• Highly recommended aid for fading skin discolorations
• For a lighter, brighter complexion

Active Ingredients 
2% (?)  hydroquinone

Porcelana Skin Dark Spots Daytime

Porcelana Fade Dark Spots Daytime Treatment uses an innovative combination of the active ingredient, Hydroquinone and antioxidants to fade dark spots and other skin discolorations while moisturizing and firming your skin. Sunscreen helps protect your skin from future darkening.

• Combines Hydroquinone and Antioxidants to Fade Dark Spots and Other Skin Discolorations.
• Sunscreen helps Protect your Skin from Future Darkening.
• Use with Porcelana Fade Dark Spots Nighttime Treatment for Optimal Results.
• Dermatologist Recommended.

Ingredients
Active:Hydroquinone U.S.POctinoxate Inactive:Water, Mineral Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Palmitate, PEG-100 Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Emulsifying Wax NF, Stearic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Beta-Carotene, Disodium EDTA, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Sodium Metabisulfite, Citric Acid, BHT, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance.

Available at:

• Porcelana products on Amazon.com
• drugstore.com