Stay out of the Sun

Staying out of the sun is always step one, because the spot was most likely caused by UV rays from the sun. UV triggers the production of melanin. Melanin is actually a hormone responsible for the skin’s color. Sometimes, the melanin producing cells or melanocytes become damaged. So, instead of even production, you get “uneven” production and clumping. It’s not unlike a freckle.

If you protected the area completely from UV, it might start to lighten on its own, in eight weeks or so, but maybe not. It really depends on how much damage has been done to the melanocytes. But, regardless, the first step for how to fade age spots is to stay out of the sun. The best way to do that is to wear protective clothing, like a hat with a wide brim, or to use a sun block containing zinc oxide. Other sun-screening ingredients are not as effective.

Avoid Smoke and Pollution, if Possible

If the spot was not caused by the sun, the most likely cause was smoke or environmental pollutants. These things would not naturally trigger melanin production, but they can cause the production of free radicals, which can damage the melanocytes.

Free radicals can also lead to skin aging. People that smoke cigarettes look older and have more wrinkles than those who don’t. Not only are these two steps important for how to fade age spots, but they will also help insure that the spot does not return.

Check the Ingredients in Your Skincare Products

Petroleum based alcohols, such as ethanol, methanol, isopropyl and denatured alcohol, can cause hyper-pigmentation when applied directly to the skin. These are relatively common ingredients in cleansers, aftershave and some other health and beauty aids.

Use mild, all natural cleansers and moisturizers. The moisturizer that you choose could be the key step in how to fade age spots.

Use a Good Cream

There are a number of natural ingredients that even out pigmentation. If you want all-over whitening, look for cyperus rotundus extract. Don’t buy hydroquinone. It’s not safe, no matter what some sources say and it can make the problem worse.

If you simply want to even out pigmentation, follow the steps above and use a night cream that contains Shea butter, coenzyme Q10 and bioactive keratin. Each of these has been shown in separate studies to even out pigmentation, reduce brown spots and reverse sun damage.

In addition, these ingredients will improve firmness and moisture content. They will reduce wrinkles and sagging. They will improve your skin’s health, in many ways. If you haven’t always been as good to your skin as you could have been, it deserves some good treatment, for a change.

So, that’s how to fade age spots in four simple steps. Be patient, it will take a few weeks, but the effect should be permanent.

Valerie Rosenbaum studies anti aging skin care products and the ingredients used in them like Phytessence Wakame. She believes the best skin care products are clinically tested by independent labs. Visit http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

Even though they are most often seen in older people, they really have nothing to do with age. Despite the fact that they are commonly referred to as liver spots, they have nothing to do with the health of your liver, either. They are really nothing more than adult freckles, caused by overexposure to the sun.

They are harmless, not indicative of skin cancer. But, the damage that causes them also plays a role in skin cancer. So, if you do see a sudden change in the color or size of a spot, you should report it to your doctor, immediately.

Using a home remedy for age spots will only be effective if you protect the affected area from sunlight. You can do that buy wearing protective clothing, such as a hat, if the spot is on your forehead or face. You can also use a zinc oxide sun-block, but those other sunscreen ingredients are not as effective. Some of them could actually increase your risk of skin cancer.

If you are a woman and the spot is on your face, choose a foundation that contains zinc oxide. There are several brands that contain it. The SPF rating of your makeup really doesn’t mean much. By the time that you are on your way home from work, any of them will have lost their effectiveness.

The only home remedy for age spots that is not a commercially manufactured product, but might be effective is fresh lemon juice. It is acidic enough to peel of the outer layer of skin. That may work, but it might also cause redness, itching and irritation. In order for it to work, you would need to dab it on the spot with a cotton-ball twice day. It will take about 6-8 weeks, but if you avoid exposure to the sun during that time, you should start to see it fade away.

Even a commercially produced home remedy for age spots will take 6-8 weeks to work, because that’s how long it takes for the outer layer of epidermis to be replaced. That’s right. Every couple of months, your outer layer of skin is completely replaced. Thousands of your skin cells are sloughed off every day. New ones are produced by specialized mother cells in the deepest layer of the epidermis.

In a young healthy person, it takes only 28 days for those new cells to reach the surface, but the process slows down greatly, with age. Now, if you are interested, there are some new anti-aging creams that can speed that process up again. Once you learn about that, you might not be interested in a home remedy for age spots and you might not ever need one again.

Valerie Rosenbaum studies natural skin care products and the ingredients used in them. She believes the best skin care products are clinically proven to be effective. Visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

That’s what scientist call them; oxygen species. Most often, we here them referred to as free radicals. They are actually oxygen (and sometimes nitrogen) molecules that have lost an electron. If an antioxidant like coenzyme Q10 is present, it will voluntarily give up one of its electrons. If not, the radical will become frenzied and start to damage the cells and fibers that are responsible for the skin’s strength, thickness and firmness. Eventually, this molecular damage results in visible wrinkling and sagging.

Overexposure to the sun causes overproduction of free radicals. So does exposure to things like cigarette smoke and air pollution. Those things can also cause hyper-pigmentation, in other words, age spots. So, if you want to eliminate age spots, you have to recognize the importance of free radicals and the role that the sun plays in producing them.

That doesn’t mean that you have to give up your love for the great outdoors. You just need to protect your skin. Don’t rely on those disappearing sunscreens to help. Some sun screening ingredients have been shown to cause damage similar to what is caused by free radicals.

Wear protective clothing, like a hat with a wide brim. If there are areas that you cannot protect with clothing, use a zinc oxide sun “block” and reapply it regularly. If you’re spending the day at the beach, invest in a beach umbrella. The shade is your friend if you want to really eliminate age spots.

What about those age spot removers that you see advertised on TV? Most of them contain hydroquinone. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it makes the problem worse. That may depend on how much time a person spends in the sun or it may be due to the chemical structure of the ingredient. An increased risk of skin cancer has been associated with hydroquinone. We don’t know if the risk is due to the chemical, itself, or to consumer misuse.

There are some completely safe and natural ingredients that have been shown to even out pigmentation and eliminate age spots. You could use a night cream that contains high quality Shea butter, for example.

Shea butter has a “healing quotient” due to the antioxidants and other nutrients that it contains. It is nearly identical to the natural moisturizer produced by the sebaceous glands within the skin. So, it is readily accepted and quickly absorbed without causing a greasy feeling. It has been said that Shea butter can literally transform the skin’s health and appearance, with regular use.

You might also look for a moisturizer that contains natural coenzyme Q10. It has been shown to reverse sun damage, even reversing wrinkles over the course of six weeks. Basically, nourishing ingredients and avoiding the sun will help you eliminate age spots faster and more effectively than any hydroquinone cream.

Valerie Rosenbaum studies anti aging skin care products and the ingredients used in them. She believes the best skin care products are clinically tested by independent labs. Visit http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Eliminate-Age-Spots—Simple,-Safe-and-Effective-Creams&id=2270545

The ingredient has been banned in several countries, because it may increase a person’s risk of cancer. It should have been banned years ago, because it can cause the opposite effect of increased pigmentation. Complaints about a hydroquinone face lotion to reduce age spots include darkening and too much lightening of the area. Obviously, the effect that it has cannot be controlled. It’s too unstable.

So, how can a face lotion reduce age spots safely and effectively? If it contains an extract from the cyperus rotundus root, a well-known medicinal plant among traditional healers, it can lighten and even out pigmentation, by inhibiting melanin production. But, if you like your skin’s color, other than the spot, beware. By inhibiting melanin production, it will lighten your skin’s tone. If you don’t want to be “whiter”, you might want to choose something else.

How can a face lotion reduce age spots without inhibiting melanin production? That’s a good question, since the spot is a melanin clump, similar to a freckle. Here’s the answer.

Creams that contain a proprietary ingredient called Cynergy TK have been shown to increase the production of superoxide dismutase and glutathione within the skin’s cells. These antioxidants will help reverse brown pigmentation caused by UV exposure or environmental pollutants.

You might also look for a face lotion to reduce age spots that contains coenzyme Q10. Another antioxidant, COQ10 has been shown in clinical studies to reverse sun damage. Sun damage is what caused that spot to appear in the first place. You probably spent too much time outside, without protection, either over the course of several years or during a single trip to the beach.

Can a face lotion reduce age spots without bleaching? If you are fair skinned, you will undoubtedly notice that you skin looks lighter. How much lighter depends on how much or how little time that you spend in the sun. If you are still thinking that a tan is attractive, consider this. Fair skinned people that spend enough time in the sun to acquire a tan have far more wrinkles than people that limit sun exposure.

Basically, you might not need a face lotion to reduce age spots if you had spent a little less time in the sun or you had made efforts to protect your skin. If you are saying, “Wait, but I always wore sunscreen.” That’s not surprising. Most sunscreens are actually ineffective. Only zinc oxide is truly effective and people don’t like it, because it doesn’t disappear.

So, can a face lotion reduce age spots, safely? Yes it can, as long as it contains the right ingredients. Read the label carefully, before you buy face lotion to reduce age spots. That’s the best advice.

Valerie Rosenbaum studies anti aging skin care products and the ingredients used in them. She believes the best skin care products are clinically tested by independent labs. Visit DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Hydroquinone-in-Face-Lotions-to-Reduce-Age-Spots-is-Not-Safe!&id=2270541

Most people are aware that overexposure to the sun contributes to the formation of cancerous growths. Some people are unaware that too much sun contributes to wrinkling, sagging and the formation of heavily pigmented areas that are generally referred to as age spots.

People that are concerned about too much sun exposure will usually take the time to protect their faces and other parts of their body, but most people pay little attention to the backs of their hands. Yet, their hands are exposed whenever they are doing anything outdoors, unless they wear gloves. Your best bet is to try to stay out of the sun for a while, while you begin to use a nourishing lotion that helps fade them.

To remove age spots on hands, US dermatologists are still recommending creams containing hydroquinone, even though its use for skin whitening has been banned by countries in the European Union. Hydroquinone is a common irritant and allergen that is a probable carcinogen. It contains benzene, which is known to cause cancer. There should be no reason to risk your health in order to improve your appearance and there isn’t. There are effective alternatives that are completely safe.

The way that hydroquinone worked to remove age spots on hands was to inhibit production of melanin, the element responsible for skin pigmentation. Melanin production is stimulated by repeated exposure to UV rays from the sun. Its production greatly increases when the skin is burned by the sun. The whole process is affected by age. It doesn’t seem to work quite as well. That is why protecting your hands from further sun exposure is so important.

If there is no way to completely avoid exposure, apply a sun block containing zinc oxide to the backs of your hands. Other sun-screening agents are less effective. Some of them, like avobenzone, are like hydroquinone, derived from benzene. Studies have shown that other sunscreens derived from benzene cause damage to DNA strands within the skin’s cells. That makes them probable carcinogens.

Once you have a plan for avoiding the sun, you can safely remove age spots on hands within six weeks. Many people report improvement within the first two weeks, depending on the lotion that they use. The most effective ingredients seem to be nut-grass root extract, the protein keratin and coenzyme Q10.

The use of a night cream, containing Shea butter, increases the effectiveness. By itself, high quality Shea butter has been known to remove age spots on hands in 4-6 weeks. So, it really depends on how fast you want to see a difference.

Nut-grass root extract inhibits melanin production, but without causing irritation. Coenzyme Q10 reverses sun damage. The protein keratin, in its most active form, stimulates the production of antioxidants within the skin.

These ingredients make up some of the best, most effective anti-aging creams on the market. They will work to remove age spots on hands, reduce wrinkles and improve firmness. It is possible to look as young as you feel, again.

Valerie Rosenbaum has deeply studied natural skin care products and the ingredients used in them. She believes the best skin care products should be clinically proven to be effective. Visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and would like some simple, natural solutions that work.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Remove-Age-Spots-With-Chemicals-Banned-in-Europe?-What-Dermatologists-Dont-Share&id=2239083

When looking for an effective age spot cream what is it exactly that you should be searching for? Most of us will face the dilemma of trying to rid our skin of these embarrassing blemishes at one point in our lives or another, and choosing the right product is imperative to our success. Why is it that most of the creams and lotions that are available to us simply don’t work to solve the problem?

Before I get into all of that I want to explain something to you about what it actually is that causes these spots to appear on our skin. Many of us have become convinced over the years that because of the time in our lives when these marks typically appear, that they must have something to do with the fact that we are growing older. The truth is that they are not related to our aging at all.

Most of the marketing for age spot cream has been centered on the aging process, because that was a way for the company’s marketing such products to take advantage of the natural vanity that each of us has. If they could conjure up the feelings of self consciousness that many of us are stricken with when it comes to the notion of getting old, then they could increase sales.

When we begin to develop these marks on our skin depends in large part on how much of our lives we have spent in the sun. These marks are the result of a long period of exposure to the UV radiation that the sun emits. Skin cells that have become the worst damaged often suffer from a short circuited defense system that produces what is known as melanin hyperpigmentation.

This is the same hyperpigmentation that causes people with pale, or sun sensitive skin to develop freckles, and that causes our skin to tan in response to exposure to the sun. What these blemishes should truly be called are sun spots, but the companies that market their products as age spot cream are again simply trying to capitalize on a humiliating misnomer.

What is it that you will find in a typical cream designed for removing these spots, and why doesn’t it work effectively? Nine times out of ten you will find that the primary ingredient in these formulas is a chemical bleaching agent. Bleach is an excellent choice if you are trying to remove discoloration from a large area of the body, but not for smaller areas because the chemical bleeds outwards.

The best ingredient for an age spot cream is one that blends all of the different tones of your skin together, and leaves you with a more balanced overall complexion. Such an ingredient is called Extrapone Nutgrass Root, which is a natural ingredient that comes from a plant that grows wild throughout India. The Indian people have sworn by this gentle and effective skin treatment for thousands of years.

You have to choose the age spot cream that will give you the most effective treatment, and most of them woefully disappoint. Those containing Extrapone Nutgrass Root however will leave your skin looking clear, and absolutely radiant.

Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti-aging skincare products. She has found the most effective skin care products available on the market today. Visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Rosenbaum
http://EzineArticles.com/?Extrapone-Nutgrass-Root-in-Age-Spot-Creams-Naturally-Lightens-Skin&id=2183637

Most anti-wrinkle guides start with the detrimental effects that sunlight has on your skin, but I’m going to skip that one, for the time being. I’d like to start with the detrimental effects that many cosmetics have on your skin.

Respected dermatologists have said for many years that petrolatum, mineral oil and paraffin interfere with the skin’s natural rejuvenation processes and should not be used on a regular basis, if at all. But, many of the skincare products that people use every day contain them. Using an effective moisturizer is often recommended by anti-aging specialists, but practically every moisturizer on the market contains one or all of them.

If you really want to minimize wrinkles and look your best as time goes by, read the label of ingredients on any product that you are currently using. If it contains petrolatum, mineral oil or paraffin, throw it out.

Many people believe that genetics plays a big role in how you look as time goes by. But, studies that included identical twins have shown that overexposure to the sun, along with smoking, greatly contribute to wrinkle formation. Twins that smoke or spend lots of time in the sun look older than their siblings that don’t. The reason for this has less to do with the sun and the smoke as it does to do with the free radicals that those things generate.

Free radicals contribute to all of the signs of age, as well as most age-related diseases. Antioxidants are the body’s natural defense against free radicals. Numerous studies have shown that low levels of antioxidants in the bloodstream are associated with a variety of health problems. Taking your vitamins helps, but if you want to really minimize wrinkles, you need to look for a moisturizer that contains the antioxidant coenzyme Q10.

Studies have shown that the skin’s coenzyme Q10 content is quickly depleted when a person is exposed to UV rays from the sun. The antioxidant is working as hard as it can to neutralize free radicals, but the longer you spend in the sun, the more free radicals are generated. No matter how good your diet is or how many vitamins that you take, the best way to supplement the skin’s antioxidant content is to rub on an antioxidant-rich skin cream.

In a recent study that included volunteers with multiple symptoms of sun damage, coenzyme Q10 was shown to reduce and minimize wrinkles by nearly 30%. That was after six weeks of daily use. Be wary of companies that promise immediate results. It takes years of molecular damage for a wrinkle to develop. It takes a little time for them to fade away.

Coenzyme Q10 is not the only nutrient that has been proven effective when applied topically and those three ingredients mentioned above are not the only ones to avoid. There is always more to learn about how to minimize wrinkles and protect your skin’s health. This is just the tip of the ice burg.

Valerie Rosenbaum has deeply studied natural skin care products and the ingredients used in them. She believes the best skin care products should be clinically proven to be effective. Visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

The spot is actually composed of cells containing melanin, a hormone. Melanin secretion occurs in the dermal layer of the skin. Secretion is stimulated by the hormone estrogen and by UV radiation from the sun.

Cells that secrete melanin are called melanocytes and malignant melanoma is a form of cancer that occurs in those cells. Melanoma is a rare but deadly form of skin cancer. Other types of skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell) respond better to treatment and are less likely to cause death.

But, what does all of this do with how to get rid of age spots? Many people are surprised when they see them, because they religiously wear sunscreen. They are unaware that most sunscreens are largely ineffective, especially those that penetrate and disappear after application. The best sunscreens are those that contain zinc oxide, but they are less popular, because they do not disappear.

An SPF rating has to do with protection from burning, but not necessarily from UV radiation. It is UVB radiation that causes burning. UVA radiation is more dangerous. A number of class action lawsuits are underway. The consumers involved in the suits feel that sunscreen manufacturers misled them into believing their products provided complete protection from the sun. Many of the consumers were regular sunscreen users that developed malignant melanoma.

All of this is important, because I can tell you how to get rid of age spots, but you need to learn how to prevent them. Use clothing to protect yourself from UV rays. Use a zinc oxide sun-block on exposed areas when you expect to be in direct sunlight for more than 15 minutes. If you don’t protect yourself from the sun, any efforts to remove age spots will be ineffective.

Using creams containing ingredients that inhibit melanin production may be your best choice, but they may lighten the surrounding area, as well. If you are happy with the overall tone or color of your skin, avoiding the sun and using a night cream that contains high quality Shea butter and CYNERGY TK is probably all that you need to do.

The use of Shea butter has long been recommended as how to get rid of age spots, but only in some areas of the world. In the US, cosmetic companies dominate the skincare business, even though the ingredients that they use are not good for the skin’s health.

CYNERGY TK is a form of active keratin that has only recently been extracted from sheep’s wool and processed gently enough to prevent destroying the protein complex. Creams containing it have been shown to stimulate skin cell production. That’s an important part of how to get rid of age spots, because the new cells will be lighter in color, if you make every effort to avoid the sun.

Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti-aging skincare products. She has found the most effective skin care products available on the market today. Visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

Of course, there are dietary and lifestyle factors to consider, as well. The vitamins A, C and E are extremely important to your skin’s health and appearance. Collagen fibers, which are primarily responsible for your skin’s elasticity, cannot be produced without vitamin C. Low levels of vitamin A and E play a role in acne and are linked to excessive dryness. Dry skin looks older. There’s no doubt about that.

Using a cream containing vitamin E may not be how to get rid of age brown spots, but studies have shown that it does prevent them from appearing. Since vitamin E is a good antioxidant, it stands to reason that free radical damage plays a role in the appearance of those heavily pigmented areas. Antioxidants are able to neutralize free radicals, preventing them from damaging the cells.

Exposure to UV radiation from the sun causes increased production of free radicals within the cells. Studies have shown that the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 is quickly depleted when the skin is exposed to UV radiation, because when COQ10 neutralizes free radicals, it is no longer COQ10. It is changed into other compounds, primarily water.

Using creams that contain COQ10 may be how to get rid of age brown spots. Recent studies have shown that using creams containing it improves the appearance of sun damaged skin by 30% or more, after only six weeks. Researchers saw a 30% reduction in wrinkles, as well. The only other area to address is lost firmness.

A protein complex called CYNERGY TK has been shown to increase firmness by over 40% in 18 days. It was also shown to increase production of new skin cells by as much as 160% in as little as three days. That’s an important part of how to get rid of age brown spots, because the new cells will be lighter in color, if you make an effort to protect the spot from sun exposure.

If you think about it, you will realize that skin cells need the same things that the rest of the body needs to be healthy and, of course, healthy skin is better looking. Vitamins, protein, and antioxidants; those are the things that were mentioned in this article and those are the ingredients to look for in skincare products.

The ingredients that you don’t need are artificial preservatives, added fragrances, synthetic chemicals and artificial colors. Yet, that is what most skincare products contain. There are other things that you can learn about how to get rid of age brown spots, but if you take what you have learned in this article and apply it, you’ll look younger. There’s no doubt about that, either.

Valerie Rosenbaum provides the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti aging skin care products. Visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.

Estrogen causes increased production of melanin stimulating hormone or MSH. Usually, increased production of MSH increases pigmentation evenly, but in some cases, the melanin is secreted in clumps. The spot may fade over time, as would a tan or any other increase in pigmentation, but there are some things that you can do to naturally speed the process.

If you are an older woman using hormone replacement therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms, estrogen could again be the cause. But, in most cases what causes age spots is exposure to the sun. Usually a sun burn is involved, but not always. It really depends on how much exposure you get on a regular basis, how light your complexion is and how many times the area has been burned in the past.

Dermatologists refer to them as lentigos. They occur most frequently on the backs of the hands and the face. Men that are bald frequently see them on their heads, unless they are careful to wear a hat. Actually, wearing a wide-brimmed hat is one of the best things that you can do to protect your skin from sun exposure.

Many experts say that sun exposure is the cause of most of the signs of aging. But, the problem is actually the molecular damage that is triggered by overexposure to the sun.

The body looks at UV radiation as a threat. The immune system kicks into high gear. It only has so many defenses against outside threats. One is free radicals.

Free radical damage is probably what causes age spots, but no one is sure. It hasn’t been a subject of great study. Researchers are more concerned about cancer, for obvious reasons. Although free radicals can eventually damage the cellular membranes and cause DNA and collagen degeneration, they also kill intracellular bacteria. When the threat of UV radiation is felt, free radical production increases, even though the threat is not bacteria.

The body is a complex piece of machinery, but it is also simple. It responds to any unknown substance in the same way. Increase free radical molecules, secrete inflammatory molecules and send in antioxidants. Free radicals and inflammatory molecules cause damage. Antioxidants prevent it.

We do know that what causes age spots is melanin clumping. It’s just that no one is sure why it clumps like that. Melanin is normally produced as another defense mechanism. Melanin rich cells in the epidermis turn UV radiation into heat, which is non-threatening and does not trigger immune system responses.

Melanin is responsible for the skin’s complexion. People with darker complexions rarely develop skin cancer. So, in effect, melanin provides protection against skin cancer. Before you make an effort to inhibit melanin production, you should seriously consider what that melanin is doing for you.

Now, that you know a little more about what causes age spots, you might want to learn about how to prevent them and what you can do to fade them, without risking your skin’s health.

Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti-aging skincare products. She has found the most effective skin care products available on the market today. Visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com if you have fine lines, wrinkles or age spots and want to do something about it today.