What really works on age spots?

[math teacher]

I have age spots on the backs of my hands-none on my face, though. Have you found anything that really works to lighten them or (dare I say) remove them?

[prairiewindmomma]

Tretinoin or laser therapy

Essentially, you need to make new skin and use either the retinol product mentioned above to peel yourself there or laser yourself there.

[Katy]

You can also buy a mole remover pen from Amazon and essentially electrically burn them off. Or have it done at a dermatologist. It’s not as simple as it looks on the videos on YouTube. You have to do it a few times IME.  But it does work. 

[Amy in NH]

Hydroquinone is a skin bleaching agent that causes age spots to fade away over a number of weeks or months.  I've had good success with it on brown skin patches (not raised) along my jawline.  If you stop using it or spend a lot of unprotected time in the sun they can return.

I got it at Walgreens.

[TexasProud]

2 hours ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

They're caused by the sun so the first thing to do is get adequate sun protection. That's hard with your hands because we constantly wash them to remove sunscreen. Much of the sun exposure on our hands comes from driving. I recently purchased some SPF driving globes. 

Removing them is much harder than preventing them, unfortunately. Tretinoin and chemical peels can remove hyperpigmentation but not for everyone. There are also products that bleach the skin like hydroquinone. Your dermatologist can prescribe hydroquinone and you must be very careful with it because it can make spots worse if you use it for too long. There are some over the counter products with a small percentage of hydroquinone. One of the Differin creams has a small concentration of it. 

There are some other products that also bleach the skin like Azaelic acid (probably misspelling this). There are some Youtube videos about this from Dr. Dray. 

I have these spots on my face but not on my hands. I'm going to try getting a chemical peel in the fall. My dermatologist cautioned against getting a chemical peel during the summer because of the increased sun exposure. 

I'm confused by this. Are you talking about the same thing? By age spots, I think of spots of hyperpigmentation. There isn't anything on the skin to burn off like a mole. It's a spot where your skin is darker so you can't burn it off. Tretinoin and chemical peels cause skin to regenerate. 

 

Well, the dermatologist burned off my age spot on my face twice and it has come back yet again.  I am barely out in the sun. My moisturizer and my foundation both have 50 sun protection in them as well.

OK, maybe mine are this: Seborrheic keratoses

Edited May 19, 2021 by TexasProud

[WildflowerMom]

8 hours ago, Katy said:

You can also buy a mole remover pen from Amazon and essentially electrically burn them off. Or have it done at a dermatologist. It’s not as simple as it looks on the videos on YouTube. You have to do it a few times IME.  But it does work. 

Can you link one you like?  

[Katy]

3 hours ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

They're caused by the sun so the first thing to do is get adequate sun protection. That's hard with your hands because we constantly wash them to remove sunscreen. Much of the sun exposure on our hands comes from driving. I recently purchased some SPF driving globes. 

Removing them is much harder than preventing them, unfortunately. Tretinoin and chemical peels can remove hyperpigmentation but not for everyone. There are also products that bleach the skin like hydroquinone. Your dermatologist can prescribe hydroquinone and you must be very careful with it because it can make spots worse if you use it for too long. There are some over the counter products with a small percentage of hydroquinone. One of the Differin creams has a small concentration of it. 

There are some other products that also bleach the skin like Azaelic acid (probably misspelling this). There are some Youtube videos about this from Dr. Dray. 

I have these spots on my face but not on my hands. I'm going to try getting a chemical peel in the fall. My dermatologist cautioned against getting a chemical peel during the summer because of the increased sun exposure. 

I'm confused by this. Are you talking about the same thing? By age spots, I think of spots of hyperpigmentation. There isn't anything on the skin to burn off like a mole. It's a spot where your skin is darker so you can't burn it off. Tretinoin and chemical peels cause skin to regenerate. 

 

If you burn the mark it will scab up & fall off.  The hyperpigmentation will fall off with it, or if it’s very deep it will lighten and you can repeat treatment. It will leave a pink scar for a while, and you have to be fastidious about sunblock or it will come back.  It even works with flat moles. Also I’ve read & watched some reviews that said it can cause scarring on dark skin, or if you’re prone to hyperpigmentation it seems to work for some people & not others. So if you’re any darker than medium skin tone I’d do a lot of research or try in a very small area.  Oh yes, and don’t do it if you’re prone to keloid scarring. 

42 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

Can you link one you like?  

This is the one I bought.  It appears people have been using & returning them in the reviews, which is gross.  I’d just look for the cheapest similar thing on Amazon with good reviews. And watch a TON of YouTube videos on how to use them.

Portable Beauty equipment Multi-Level Skin Care Beauty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085239HC2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_47WW3A22AFMCRVBXKXEQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 

[prairiewindmomma]

If your skin is prone to keloids, you can get into a lot of problems quickly with what Katy is recommending.

My dermatologist will only do laser treatments for aesthetics in the winter (December - April) due to the sun exposure issue.

FWIW, I use some products from The Ordinary and have seem some very light improvement. In the link, it's the AHA + BHA peeling solution and the Niacinamide. I saw no improvement from rosehip oil, and chemically speaking, the Vitamin C serum as formulated shouldn't do much either. https://stylecaster.com/feature/best-the-ordinary-products-dark-spots-1044998/

[Katy]

4 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

If your skin is prone to keloids, you can get into a lot of problems quickly with what Katy is recommending.

My dermatologist will only do laser treatments for aesthetics in the winter (December - April) due to the sun exposure issue.

FWIW, I use some products from The Ordinary and have seem some very light improvement. In the link, it's the AHA + BHA peeling solution and the Niacinamide. I saw no improvement from rosehip oil, and chemically speaking, the Vitamin C serum as formulated shouldn't do much either. https://stylecaster.com/feature/best-the-ordinary-products-dark-spots-1044998/

That’s why I specifically said not to use one if you are prone to keloids.

[prairiewindmomma]

Sorry, missed that line as I was reading. 

[whitestavern]

22 hours ago, Katy said:

You can also buy a mole remover pen from Amazon and essentially electrically burn them off. Or have it done at a dermatologist. It’s not as simple as it looks on the videos on YouTube. You have to do it a few times IME.  But it does work. 

I've never heard of those. Looks like they work for skin tags as well. Do you have any experience with that usage? 

[Katy]

24 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

I've never heard of those. Looks like they work for skin tags as well. Do you have any experience with that usage? 

No I don’t. 

[Sunshine State Sue]

I have successfully used clear iodine purchased inexpensively at the local pharmacy to remove age spots on my face.  I had to apply it 2x a day for months.