Believe it or not, these spots aren’t actually caused by age at all. The brown spots show up on the backs of your hands or on your face as a result of years of overexposure to the sun. Age spots don’t usually show up until later in life (hence the name), but you can see them start to appear in your 20 or 30′s if you don’t take action now. If the age spots are already present, here’s some easy home remedies that do the trick when it comes to lightening them. Keep in mind, though, that it’s gonna’ take a little while for you to see results. They didn’t appear overnight and chances are they aren’t going to go away that quickly either.
To Lighten Age Spots
Use Lemon
Put a little fresh lemon juice on the age spots 2-3 times a day. Why’s it work? The lemon juice is acidic and will slough off the skin’s outer layer. That will lighten or remove the age spots completely.
Yogurt & Honey
Mix up 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon of honey, then apply that to your age spots. Let the mixture dry on the skin for about 30 minutes before rinsing it off. Do this once daily and you should see some improvement. Why’s it work? Well, the honey and yogurt together make a natural bleach that has been known to lighten age spots.
Get Out The Aloe
There’s really not much that Aloe Vera can’t do! If you don’t already own an Aloe Vera plant, get one today. Use the gel that’s contained within it’s leaves on the age spots a couple of times a day. Why’s it work? The aloe plant contains chemicals that encourage the growth of new skin cells. By sloughing off the old, dead skin and growing healthy, new cells, you’ll see a difference.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is an age spot remedy from way back. The reason that this remedy works is because buttermilk contains lactic acid. When applied directly to the spot, lactic acid gently exfoliates the skin, which will lighten the pigmented areas (age spots).
An Ounce of Prevention…
The very best way to keep from having to lighten age spots is to prevent them from forming in the first place! Here’s how:
- Avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day. In other words, try to stay indoors between 10am and 4pm during the summer and 10am to 2pm in the wintertime.
- If you must go out, always make sure that you have applied sunscreen. Try to buy a sunscreen that contains at least an SPF15. Reapply every 2 hours.
- Treat your clothes with products like Rit Sun Guard to keep those damaging sun rays from penetrating your clothing.
- Once you’ve returned indoors, use a little vitamin E oil on your skin. It will the neutralize free radicals that are known to damage the skin.
When To Call The Doctor
Usually age spots are pretty harmless, but if they start to itch, tingle, change in size or color and/or start to bleed, it may be time to call a dermatologist.