Age spots are also called lentigines, sun spots, liver spots, are flat, brown or yellow discolorations in the skin. These patches are harmless and occur mainly on the face, neck and back of the hands in people above the age of 40. These spots are not serious but mainly annoying as they reveal about a person’s age. There are various home remedies for age spots on face which can help reduce the appearance of spots and make you feel better, but if you have spots which are increasing in size or are changing the texture or color of the spot, then you must consult the doctor as that can be the sign of skin cancer.
There can be several causes of age spots, but generally these are sign of sun damage caused due to overexposure of the skin for several years. It can also be caused due to some health conditions like disturbed digestive and liver functions or nutritional deficiencies. Metabolism of our body changes due to age and liver gets filled with toxins and it cannot get rid of these harmful substances. Thus, age spots begin to develop. It is very important to take antioxidants in your diet as it helps fight off the free radicals in the body and helps reduce age spots. Some effective home remedies to cure age spots are discussed in this article.
Home Remedies for Age Spots
The following are a few tried and tested natural remedies for age spots:
Apple Cider Vinegar: It can be mixed with onion juice and applied directly on the spots. You can use cotton pad to apply this juice and leave for about half an hour and then wash. Repeat this process once everyday for first week, you will see the spots fading away and in about six weeks, there will be gradual improvement. It will help reduce the appearance of spots on face.
In order to speed up the process, you can mix 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a mug of water and drink twice a day for a month. This will drastically reduce the spots, give a glow to the skin and will make you feel energetic.
Lemon Juice: The acids found in lemon help reduce age spots. Squeeze out lemon juice on to your palms and apply with a cotton wool on the spots twice daily. Leave for around half and hour and then wash. You will see considerable difference in spots reduction in a month.
Aloe Vera: Aloe vera is very gentle to the skin and known for long for healing skin problems. Take some aloe gel and apply on the spots directly and leave for about 45 minutes. You will see the difference in a month.
Castor Oil: Castor oil is known to reduce age spots. Apply castor oil directly onto the affected parts of the face twice a day. It will help reduce spots and make you feel good.
Buttermilk: Lactic acid present in buttermilk is good for skin. Apply buttermilk directly on the spots with a cotton wool and leave for about 15 minutes and then wash with normal water. If you have oily skin, you can buttermilk with lemon juice or tomato juice and then apply on the affected skin. This will help reduce the appearance of spots on the skin.
In addition to above you might want to remember these important points –
- Avoid frequent sun exposure
- Avoid tanning bed as it might cause this problem in future
- Use sunscreen that has a SPF of minimum 15 every time you go out in sun between 10a.m to 3 p.m
- Use sunscreen that has UVB and UVA
- Use umbrella or big hats while going out in sun to protect skin from UV rays
Hope you have liked the natural methods to get rid of age spots presented above. Along with these external remedies, you must take antioxidants rich foods to cleanse the body system and make you feel active and full of confidence without spots.