Sometimes it seems that no matter how well we look after our skin, the signs of age will always show eventually. For many of us, one sign of ageing skin is the development of age spots – or hyper-pigmentation that leads to a freckled, mottled appearance. Make-up can do much to cover this, but there are also some good treatments that can really help to eliminate this age related problem.

What is an age spot?

Generally seen in people over the age of 40, age spots are small darker patches of skin that can sometimes be scaly in texture. They often occur as a result of sun exposure but can also be due to a family history or because your skin is especially light in colour and prone to pigmentation issues.

Usually age spots are completely harmless, but they are occasionally related to certain types of melanoma and it is therefore very important to keep an eye on your skin and to look out for changes to the shape, colour or texture of your age spots.

What can I do?

There are two main ways to treat age spots after they have appeared: removal and control.

Removal: Your age spots can be removed through the use of chemical peels or laser therapies. These work to remove the top layers of skin, revealing the more youthful skin below. This should only ever be done by a qualified practitioner as it is possible to be left with lighter patches on the skin where the age spots were.

Control: There are a number of preparations that can lighten these freckles on your skin. We use Nu-Derm, which is a prescription strength formula that will produce results in as little as 4-6 weeks. It works to reduce the pigmentation and helps to reveal newer skin. This is a more gentle approach.

Prevention

Once you have had one of these treatments it is very important to prevent the age spots recurring. You should ensure that your skin is covered in sunlight and that you wear protection sun creams at all times. Regular skin care routines that involve skin refining or alphahydroxy acid products will keep your skin looking younger too.