The Sun. The term ‘age spots’, or lentigines, refers to the brownish spots on your nose which come from being out in the sun unprotected too long. As we age our skin is subjected to more and more sun damage. Our skin has melanin pigment which absorbs sunlight and helps naturally protect our skin from UV rays. However as we age, our skin’s natural ability to fend off UV rays from the sun begins to deteriorate, and we see the development of age spots.

Currently, there are four different methods that have proven to be successful at removing age spots quickly and easily.

IPL Treatment

IPL, also known as photorejuvenation, stands for Intensed Pulsed Light. This treatment for age spots is a non-ablative which simply means it doesn’t damage the surface of the skin. With IPL, intense light is sent to the deeper layers of your skin (dermis) without touching the superficial layers (epidermis). This innovative method is good for removing age spots because it uses the pulsed light to stimulate new collagen growth while fading discoloration and evening your skin tone.

The only drawback about IPL is that it has to be performed by a trained medical professional. The procedure can be quite expensive, too. You’d have to have 4 to 6 IPL treatments to see real results. At $300 to 600 per session, you could easily end up spending $1200 to $2200 to reach your goals.

Laser Resurfacing

Laser resurfacing is still a fairly new procedure, but it’s relatively safe. Laser resurfacing is most popular as a procedure for minimizing fine lines, but it’s also effective as a treatment for age spots. This procedure must be performed in a doctor’s office because it call for some sedation. Laser resurfacing is a popular treatment many plastic surgeons offer to help with removing age spots and other deep blemishes.

Like IPL, laser resurfacing can be quite expensive. The national average for this procedure is nearly $3,000 but many doctors offer financing so patients can take advantage of monthly payments.

Bleaching Creams

Bleaching creams are great for bleaching large areas of discoloration. However, as a treatment for age spots, bleaching creams tend to bleach the areas surrounding the spots more than the spots themselves. You can either purchase bleaching creams from your dermatologist or get them over the counter at your local drug store. Some people say bleaching creams are slow at removing age spots while others swear by them. Either way you can see some results.

Home Chemical Peels

A home chemical peel is perhaps the most cost-efficient and effective treatment for age spots available. It works by removing layers of dead skin over a period of several days (usually less than a week) in order to reveal fresh, new skin that is both younger looking and more supple. Lighter chemical peels only penetrate one or two layers of skin while deeper peels can go as many as three or four layers deep.

Many home chemical peel kits provide dermatologist-quality results at a fraction of the cost. As a result, they tend to be one of the most sought after solutions for removing age spots. The average home chemical peel kit will cost you about $80 for a basic kit and $660 for a more advanced kit. This is significantly less than the $300 to $2000 you would pay to have the same treatment done in a dermatologist’s office.

The truth is that moisturizers are a growing component of daily skin care and account for one of the most common over the counter products sold in the world.

This growth is partly due to the fact that what started as a simple moisturizer has become a sophisticated vehicle for delivery of complex nourishment and regulatory molecules to the skin.

The moisturizers are mostly used for one of the following reasons:

1. To repair the skin’s ability to provide effective barrier against outside pollutants, toxins, bacteria, viruses, fungi and to prevent the essential components of our skin and tissues from escaping our bodies.
2. To increase the water content of the skin in both dermis and epidermis.
3. To reduce skin vulnerability against trans-epidermal (through the skin) water loss.
4. To rebalance the skin’s composition of lipids (fats) both inside and outside the skin cells.
5. To deliver nutrients and regulatory substances to the viable portion of the dermis and epidermis.

The anatomy of most moisturizers encompasses at least one of the following components: emollients, occlusive agents, humectants as swell as additives designed to add extra benefits to the traditional functions of the moisturizers.

Emollients improve the visual aspect of the skin by sealing the tiny splits between the components of stratum Occlusive agents block trans-epidermal water loss. Because of the powerful occlusive properties, these agents have to be used carefully on the face as acne related to the use of cosmetics can result. Humectants are designed to attract water either from the environment or from the underlying dermis to the epidermis.

The era of newer, much more sophisticated moisturizers is upon us where scientifically formulated delivery systems can offer additive benefits of supplementing and modulating skin cells for their optimal function and differentiation. As such, these new moisturizers offer a cutting edge frontier where therapeutic benefits are combined with the moisturizing qualities of topical products. Vitamins, minerals, growth factors, peptides, enzymes and co-enzymes are some of the few categories of molecules currently in use in the latest fight to prevent skin deterioration and optimize its functioning.

About the author:
Mariusz J. A. Sapijaszko, MD FRCPC is the Director of the Western Canada Dermatology Institute located in Edmonton, Alberta. He is also the Clinical Assistant Professor at the Division of Dermatology, University of Alberta, in Edmonton. His areas of expertise include cosmetic and laser surgery.