Natural Remedies to Treat Age Spots at Home

Oct 20, 2020 - Nida

The best way to prevent age spots and the skin cancer is by applying sunscreen. However if these spots have already shown up on your skin, you need to get rid of them while taking care of your skin to prevent further damage. You can buy an over-the-counter fade cream, or check your kitchen for a simple spot removing ingredient. Keep in mind that such treatments may take weeks or months to see improvement and you need to be consistent to see the results.

These spots are mostly flat or rounded brown spots which can happen on the backs of your hands or face, however they aren’t caused by age. These spot areas get excess pigment because of unprotected sun exposure for many years. Because it takes many years to see the damage, they get noticed later in life by most people. In the mean time if you have had extreme sun exposure, it can develop in 20's or 30's as well. Some medications can also make you more vulnerable to sun damage and age spots, including tetracycline, diuretics (water pills), and drugs for diabetes and blood pressure.

Remedies for Age Spots

Apply juice of a fresh lemon on the spots at least twice a day. Lemon juice is mildly acidic, and may be strong enough to slough off the skin’s outer layer and remove or lighten age spots.
Blend honey and yogurt to create a natural bleach that can lighten age spots. Mix 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon of honey. Apply, let dry for 30 minutes, then rinse. Do this once a day.
Spread your spots with aloe vera gel, straight from the leaves of a living plant, if possible. The plant contains chemicals that slough away dead cells and encourages the growth of new, healthy ones. Apply the gel once or twice a day.
Try buttermilk. An old folk remedy for age spots, it contains lactic acid, which gently exfoliates sun-damaged skin and pigmented areas.

How to Prevent Age Spots

Avoid the sun as much as possible during peak hours—10 A.M. to 4 P.M. during summer, and 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. in the winter.
Every day, 30 minutes before you set foot outside, slather your skin including your face and the backs of your hands with sunscreen. Make sure it has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. The most effective sunscreens for guarding against age spots contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. If you will be outdoors for long periods of time, reapply every two hours.
To help prevent sun rays from penetrating your clothing, try the product called Rit Sun Guard. Added to your laundry during the wash cycle, it boosts the SPF of your clothing and prevents 96 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet waves from reaching your skin.
After you’ve been out in the sun, slather on some vitamin E oil. An antioxidant, vitamin E may help prevent age spots by neutralizing skin-damaging free radical molecules. Because vitamin E produces free radicals when it’s exposed to sunlight, smooth it on only after sun exposure.

Age spots, which usually look like dark, smooth freckles, are generally harmless. However, if a spot starts to tingle, itch, change size or color, or bleed, it’s time to call the doctor. Some skin cancers, like melanoma, can look like age spots. If home remedies don’t work on your age spots, your dermatologist can most likely get rid of them through laser treatment or by applying liquid nitrogen. A fade cream called Porcelana contains a 2% solution of the bleaching agent hydroquinone. (Darker spots may need a 3% solution can also be used, but for that you will need a prescription from a dermatologist.) Before you use Porcelana, read the package directions.