Quick quiz: how many days a week do you need to be wearing sunscreen, according to dermatologists?
Ready for the answer? It’s seven.
Putting on sunscreen should be part of your daily routine, even if you don’t really go out of the house. Your arm skin can get light damage from window exposure while you’re driving, and sometimes even from your computer screen!
If you haven’t been wearing enough sunscreen, you may have noticed “age spots,” also called “liver spots,” on your skin.
You can’t go back in time and prevent them, but you can fade the ones you have and prevent more. Learn what causes age spots and other helpful tips below.
What Are Age Spots?
An age spot is a flat area on the skin with increased pigmentation. They’re usually oval-shaped and are darker than your natural skin tone, like how your skin would look with a tan. On the biological level, age spots are pigment cells (melanin) that are overactive due to environmental conditions.
They’re most likely to occur in spots that get the most sun exposure and often are grouped together. If you’re wondering if you have them, look on the top of your hands and feet, on your back and shoulders, on your left arm (sun exposure from driving), and your face.
To the untrained eye, these age spots look like freckles – but they’re not. Freckles are hereditary, and age spots are from environmental exposure.
What Causes Age Spots?
As we alluded to before, age spots are caused by sun and light exposure. They’re more common on light skin, people with outdoor jobs, and those who use tanning beds, but anyone can get them.
Age spots are harmless, but many people choose to treat them for aesthetic reasons. The only way an age spot could hurt you is if it turns into/is confused for a cancerous mole.
Tracking and diagnosing your moles is very important!
How to Treat Age Spots
The best time to treat an age spot was 20 years ago – the second-best time is now. That’s our version of the old Chinese proverb.
The way you treat an age spot depends on how dark it is and how long you’ve had it. Methods include microdermabrasion, chemical peels, fading creams, hyperpigmentation treatment at your dermatologist, and microneedling.
Your dermatologist will be able to prescribe the right course of treatment for you based on your needs. While you’re there, ask for a sunscreen recommendation to prevent more age spots in the future!
You: Age Spotless
You don’t have to remove age spots if you don’t want to, but if you do, the treatment is mild and inexpensive. As we’ve said, the best way to treat them is to avoid them, so put on that sunscreen!
We hope you enjoyed this guide on what causes age spots and how to treat them. For more gorgeous beauty content, check out more of our blog posts next!
