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How Can I Get Rid of Age Spots?

asked 4 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Ross A. Clevens, MD
Question viewed 78,307 times
Tags: age spots, brown spots, sun spots

I am guilty of not using proper skin protection from the sun..ok, i actually tanned every day of my 20s and 30s!!! So now I need to know what to do about age spots on my face.  Also seeing age spots on hands and maybe even my legs.  What can I do to get rid of these spots?

18 answers to How Can I Get Rid of Age Spots?

+12

How to Get Rid of Age Spots

There are a number of treatments that can be used in isolation or in conjunction. Lasers such as Fraxel provide gradual improvement for age spots. Hydroquinone creams such as Obagi provide excellent results for many patients. A good sunscreen is a must. The important aspect is to be under the care of a qualified professional who can guide you through the treatments and ensure their proper use.
Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS

West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon
+10

I actually just completed a study with the Good...

I actually just completed a study with the Good Housekeeping Institute that tested several products claiming to reduce the appearance of age spots. Of the five products that we tested, Murad’s Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Gel performed the best, with Good Skin’s All Bright Spot Treatment coming in second.
David Goldberg, MD

New York Dermatologic Surgeon
+6

Getting rid of Sunspots in 4 Easy Steps

The four steps to beautiful skin; 1- Good Sunblock - Always use a zinc oxide based sunblock. It has broader UVA and UVB coverage than anything else. It works immediatley upon application, not the case with avobenzone based products. It does not have estrogen mimetic effects like avobenzone based products. It won't make free radicals like avobenzone based products. Get the idea - Zinc is good! But it goes on too thick - wrong! In my practice we sell EltaMD sunblock that has 8 different... more
Robert M. Freund, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+4

You want to fade the spots that you can see now, prevent...

You want to fade the spots that you can see now, prevent them from coming back, and also limit the number that appear in the future. To treat the brown spots you have, creams and lotions containing hydroquinone will give you the best results. Kojic acid is another ingredient that can be helpful, but it is slightly less effective than hydroquinone. Retinoid creams, which are derived from Vitamin A, are very helpful in lightening brown spots and they also help improve skin texture. I often... more
Jordana Gilman, MD

New York Dermatologic Surgeon
+4

Pigment can be removed by a number of lasers - the...

Pigment can be removed by a number of lasers - the Erbium YAG, the Nd YAG, Alexandrite, Carbon Dioxide - and the new PSR3 (plasma skin resurfacing) technology, but the correct one depends on your skin type, the type of pigmentation, the area, the colour and the depth at which it lies in the skin. Choose a specialist with several types of laser at his or her disposal.
David Gault, MD

London Plastic Surgeon
+2

Different ways to eliminate age spots

Age spots, also known commonly as liver spots, are the result of prolonged, unprotected exposure to the sun. There are many different ways to treat these spots. An at-home approach would involve specialized skin lightening creams that contain hydroquinone and/or kojic acid. Other times a chemical peel may be preferable. For the quickest and most intensive approach lasers may be used. Whatever method you choose be sure to complement it with a powerful broad-spectrum sunscreen to ensure that... more
Yael Halaas, MD

Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

How to remove age spots

I think before answering this question we need to define "Age spots". As this is not a term physicians use, thus it is important to know precisely what type of lesion is being called an "age spot" by a consumer- for instance a solar lentigine is a flat tan to brown spot most often called an age spot. Laser and cryosurgery are common treatments for this type of lesion. Seborrheic Keratosis are sometimes called "age spots" and these should not be treated with... more
Steven Hacker, MD

West Palm Beach Dermatologic Surgeon
+2

Age spots can be reduced through many means

Age spots can be removed and reduced with lasers and intense pulse light. CO2 resurfacing can take most sun spots away that are at a certain depth. Deeper spots can be removed with different lasers such as ND YAG, Intense pulse light, alexandrite, ruby lasers. CO2 resurfacing has some down time and you might need up to a week or more to recover. The other lasers have little downtime but may need multiple treatments and sometimes does not completely remove the spots. One thing to realize... more
Philip Young, MD

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Getting Rid of Age Spots

If you are noticing age spots and discoloration, treating with an IPL is a quick, easy way to erase the spots and using hydroquinone daily keeps them at bay. To avoid having the age spots reappear simply use a UVB/UVA sunscreen DAILY- apply after moisturizer as part of your morning routine, avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible- especially during this midday, and shield your face when out during the day for long periods of time with a hat. Best of luck, Dr.... more
Ross A. Clevens, MD

Melbourne Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Skin care and IPL treatment for sun spots and damage

If a patient has really extensive sun spots caused by sun exposure and damage then I usually suggest Intense Pulse Light treatments, otherwise known as IPL, in combination with a comprehensive, active, skin care program. A holistic skin care regime, like Miracle 10 skin care, will begin the process of skin brightening and pigment correcting, and will normalize the skin with exfoliation and moisture therapy. Miracle 10 skin care incorporates active ingredients such as... more
Frank Lista, MD

Toronto Plastic Surgeon
+1

Aging Skin

I use a combination of lasers and skin care to treat aging skin. IPL works very well especially in combination with Retin A and Hydroquinone and sunscreen as always! We use the lasers on the face, neck, chest, as well as arms, and legs.
Melanie L. Petro, MD

Alabama Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lightly burning the age spots is the best way to remove them.

Age spots can be frozen off with liquid nitrogen, peeled off with TCA peels or burned off with electrofulguration or lasers. All work good but usually need to be done every few yrs and is easy for your dermatologist to do. OTC creams and prescription bleaching creams are almost worthless and time consuming. Sincerely, David Hansen,MD
David Hansen, MD

Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Getting rid of age spots

Greetings~ Long after someone has stopped going in the sun, the age spots appear..and keep appearing.... There are many treatments available now for age spots. Though topical products can help to some extent, we have found them to be better after some type of laser treatment or peel to preserve results and recurrence of spots. In our office we office a wide variety of treatments for sun spots, age spots and sun damage such as: LImelight, Excel V, Fraxel DUAL, Pearl,... more
Grant Stevens, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

How to get rid of sunspots - Utah

Age Spots, also known as ‘Sun Spots’, ‘Liver Spots’, or ‘Hyperpigmentation’ are stubborn and permanent areas of excess pigment. These “spots” are usually caused by excess sun and/or hormonal change (pregnancy or oral contraceptives). The best way, in our opinion, is to start with a change of lifestyle. For instance, you will need to re-think going into the sun: start by wearing a good quality broad spectrum spf and making sure... more
J. Gregory Kjar, M.D.

Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon
+1

Treatment of Age Spots

There are a lot of good options for treatment of your age spots. First, let's prevent new ones from forming. Get in the habit of applying a sunscreen that screens out UVA and UVB (broad spectrum) with an SPF of at least 30; wear a hat when you can (and sun-protective clothing for the rest of your body); try to do outdoor activities earlier or later in the day; etc. Next, to treat the "age spots" there are a number of options. Using a prescription-strength bleaching cream... more
Andrew Kaufman, MD

Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

How to Get Rid of Age Spots

One of the most effective ways to reverse the effects of chronic sun damage to your skin is by using a combination of two prescription strength medications: tretinoin cream and 4% hydroquinone. Unlike the unsubstantiated claims made by over-the-counter skin care products, the results of using these creams are backed by real medical science. We recommend the Obagi Nu-Derm System which uses both tretinoin cream and hydroquinone to visibly lighten age spots as well as the fine lines and... more
Mitchell Schwartz, MD

South Burlington Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Good news...there are multiple solutions to brown spot treatment

Treatment of brown spots can depend on the area of the body or face being treated.  For the face, IPL treatments, or better yet, photodynamic therapy with IPL activation offers excellent treatment of solar lentigines (brown spots)--in the case of photodynamic therapy, it can also help prevent precanceous spots that are likely to occur in the future given your history of sun exposure.  Either treatment can also be completed on the trunk and extremities.  Fractionated laser... more
Melanie D. Palm, MD

San Diego Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

What laser for age spots?

Hello.  If the spots you have are actually sun spots (solar lentigines), then the best treatment for you is going to involve q-switched laser treatments.  While other forms of resurfacing may help (CO2, Fraxel), the gold standard for sun based pigmentation is a Q-switched Nd:Yg laser.  This is the safest and most effective device hands down for the permanent removal of these marks.  Good luck.
Harold J. Kaplan, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

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