Who knew the sun could be so bad for us? When young, we tried hard for that lovely tanned look, not knowing that it would result in that ugly spotted look later in life. I’m talking ‘age spots’, otherwise know as liver spots or more technically as solar lentigines. They are the result of our skin trying to defend itself against UVB light from the sun. They show up in older folks because we have had more exposure to the sun over our lifetime.

How can you deal with age spots?

I have many age spots, but the one I hate is the especially big one on my left arm. I believe I’ve tried every over the counter cosmetic age spot fader there is – to no effect.

Conceal them.

I’ve also tried to cover it up – with varying measures of success. What works for a while (about an hour) has been a tube of makeup called ‘Conceal RX’. After about an hour, though, that spot shines through!

Here is a picture of my age spot before applying the makeup:

Here is my age spot after applying the makeup:

Really, the other ones truly don’t bother me as much as this half inch wide spot!

My next step will be to see a dermatologist. Maybe he can provide a stronger fade cream that works.

Remove the old skin, remove the age spot.

Apparently, the only way to permanently remove these ugly little suckers is to remove layers of skin that contain the darker pigment (melanin).

If I want to pay for the pain, the skin doc could burn off my ugly age spot with a laser (which may set me back at least $750 according to Daily Glow). This is claimed to be a permanent removal – for that one spot only of course – other spots can and will appear elsewhere! With my luck, my spot would require multiple $750 treatments.

Web MD   suggests that your dermatologist might also use microdermabrasion to sand off the skin on the age spot; a chemical peel or spot treatment to remove the old skin; or light therapy to remove or lighten the spot. None of these would be covered by my insurance as they are all considered cosmetic treatments. Great fun.

The least pleasant solution I’ve seen calls for freezing off the skin on that spot using liquid nitrogen. Not only is it painful, but it supposedly can cause scarring.

Fade the age spot.

If you haven’t already tried home remedy or over the counter fade creams, you might give those a whack before considering other more drastic measures. Most of these require consistent use over several months time to supposedly see lightening and most aren’t permanent.

Hydroquinone is a bleaching agent sold over the counter –  dab it directly on a single spot with a Q-tip. Use it in combination with retinal A products to speed up getting the old skin to slough off.

Dab lemon juice or a mixture of one teaspon honey and one teason yogurt on the spot several times a day for several months, if you prefer a true home remedy.

What do you do to remove or hide your age spots?