Getting Rid of Age Spots

Causes of Age Spots & Liver Spots

• Sun Damage You may have exposed unprotected skin to ultraviolet rays, whether from a tanning booth, a sunlamp or years of going without sunscreen. In response, your skin has tried to protect itself by producing an overabundance of melanin--the pigmented cells in your skin--in uneven patches. The release of melanin is part of the body's immune response. It is nature's way of protecting the skin from further damLiver after it has been exposed to an excess of ultra violet rays. Darker discoloration usually indicates damLiver within the deeper layers of the skin and may be more difficult to treat.

 • Chemical Causes   Certain substances that come in contact with your skin may cause Liver spots. Chemicals called psoralens are present in foods such as parsley, limes and parsnips. When you handle these foods and then go out in the sun, your skin may be more sensitive and burn more easily where the psoralens touched it. When the little blisters from the burns have healed, Liver spots may appear in their places.

 • Other Causes of Age Spots   Antibiotics such as tetracycline (Achromycin), some diuretics (water pills) and antipsychotic medicines such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine) will also cause your skin to produce Liver spots when it is not protected from the sun. Perfumes or lotions containing musk or bergamot oil also have been known to cause liver spots.

Treatments for Age Spots & Liver Spots

Getting rid of age spots often can be done with either lasers or Photo facial treatments such as IPL. Chemical Peels are also used in liver spot removal.

• Laser Removal of Age Spots   Lasers such as the Medlite C6 laser & the DioLite 532 laser are common in laser age spot removal. The Fraxel laser is also used in some cases for age spots although it is more effective for wrinkles. The Alexandrite & YAG lasers are also being used in laser liver spot removal.

 • IPL Photo Facial of Age Spots   Light based treatments such as photo facials act similarly to lasers and are equally effective in treating age spots. For example, the Palomar RejuveLux system is a pulsed light system that eliminates pigmented lesions (sunspots or age spots) by delivering a pulse of intense light which passes harmlessly through the skin and is absorbed by the pigment in the lesion. Other photo facial systems such as the Solar Genesis skin therapy system and the StarLux system also can reduce the appearance of age spots.

 • Chemical Peels for Liver Spots   Chemical peels use a chemical based soultion that is applied to the face. The solution dissolves the damaged, age-spotted top layer of skin. The damaged skin is then replaced with a more youthful looking layer. The fresh surface layer is also smoother and less wrinkled. The most popular chemical peel treatments for age spots include the "TCA" chemical peel, the Glycolic Acid Peel & the Jessner Peel.