Age spots are collections of pigment caused by exposure to the sun. (also called liver spots and solar lentigo) Age Spots also called is Liver spots and solar lentigo. Age spots are flat, gray, brown or black spots. Liver spots are flat brown-black spots that usually occur in sun-exposed areas of the body. Liver spots are extremely common after the age of 55 and occur most commonly on the backs of hands or the forehead. 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. Melanin is the dark pigment in the epidermis that gives your skin its normal color. The extra melanin is produced to protect the deeper layers of your skin — creates the darker color of a tan. Age spots develop when the extra melanin becomes “clumped” or is produced in higher concentrations than normal. Skin discoloration is caused by increased pigmentation. Sun avoidance and the use of good sun screen protection can help lessen the appearance of both lentigines and freckles.
Age spots are harmless. Age spots range from freckle-size to more than a centimeter across and can group together, making them more prominent. Often, age spots are accompanied by other signs of sun damage. Symptom is a skin lesion that is a painless, flat patch or macule (area of skin color change). Liver spots are the result of a “ceroid” pigment build up in the skin of older people. These latter spots are the outward signs of free radical destruction within the body. There is pre-oxidation of fats—in the cells instead of in the liver. Free radical damage produces waste materials in cells throughout the body, including the brain and liver. Liver spots do not become cancerous. Still, if a spot changes in color, size, or shape. Age spots can be treated with freezing, acids, skin sanding, electric needle and any other methods which causes a superficial destruction of the skin. Lasers are much more precise and less damaging to the skin because light is used to selectively remove the pigment without damaging the normal surrounding skin. There is also less pain and less healing time required to recover from laser treatment than with non-laser treatments. Liver spots can be lightened with skin-bleaching products or removed by freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy). Cryotherapy (freezing) or laser treatment may be recommended to destroy the liver spots.
Age spots home remedies Tips:
1. Aloe Rubbing fresh aloe vera juice or gel on the spots will help fade them. Use the gel twice a day for a month or two. Juice from the aloe plant is excellent for healing burns and is also beneficial as a general healing agent.
2. Apple cider vinegar Combine two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with one teaspoon of orange juice and apply to the spots, preferably on a cloth or cotton pad that is secured to the area.
3. Bilberry herb slows some of the aging processes and acts as an antioxidant. Take 4-8 oz. of fresh berries, 80-160 mg of bilberry extract (25% anthocyanidin), or 20-40 mg anthocyanosides daily.
4. Buttermilk Dab buttermilk on the spots. The lactic acid and other ingredients in the milk are beneficial to the skin. Buttermilk has been used for generations as a skin cleanser and as a beauty aid.
5. Castor oil Apply castor oil on the spots in the morning and in the evening, and rub well into the skin. The spots should disappear within a month.
6. Take fresh or canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), mash about 1/3 cupful and add a little water. Smear this paste on the spots and leave it there until it dries.
7. Dandelion Break open a dandelion stem and rub the sap on the spots 2-3x per day. Good for warts, too. Will Greer (Grandpa Walton) used this method successfully.
8. Using the ancient Chinese herb gotu kola. Mix 1/8 teaspoon of powdered herb into a cup of herbal tea or add it to plain hot water along with 1/8 teaspoon of ginseng and a pinch of cayenne. This remedy should clear the spots in a few days.
9. Mix one teaspoon grated horseradish root, 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 drops rosemary essential oil. Dab onto your age spots with a cotton ball once or twice a day (less if you have sensitive skin); it will exfoliate the top layer of skin and your spot should lighten. Jeanette Jacknin, M.D. in Smart Medicine for Your Skin.
10. Some fresh lemon juice on the spots twice daily. If you are going outdoors, wait for the juice to dry as it increases the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. It may take a few months, but the acidity in the juice will cause the spots to fade away.
