How to Remove Age Spots on the Hands

Age spots, also known as liver spots, belie an otherwise youthful appearance. When the skin has been over-exposed to the sun, as well as to tanning booths, beds or sun lamps, these brown spots, called lentigos and seborrhoeic keratoses, develop. The body attempts to protect itself by over-producing melanin, which is the pigment in skin. The result is uneven patches of brown that generally show up on the backs of your hands and on your back. These spots can be rounded, brown or black and are sharply defined flat patches of skin, according to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Wash your hands before going into the sun if you have handled limes, parsnips or parsley because they contain a substance called psoralen, which makes your skin especially sun sensitive. If your skin is repeatedly sunburned, the likelihood of developing age spots increases.

2

If you wear perfume containing musk or bergamot, apply it only to areas normally covered by clothing. According to Womenfitness.com, when skin where such perfumes are dabbed or sprayed is exposed to the sun, age spots can develop.

3

Use a medicated cream on your age spots and see if it helps diminish their appearance. Creams on the market include Renova, Retisol-A, Rejuva-A, Stieva-A, Retin-A and Vitamin A acid. Each of these contains tretinoin, which fades the age spots. Over a period of time, the age spots will disappear. Your pigmentation will even out and fine wrinkles will be banished.

4

Use a fade cream such as Esoterica, Palmer's Skin Success Fade Cream, or Porcelana, all of which contain hydroquinone, which slows down the production of melanin. This method works slowly but you can get prescription-strength hydroquinone and this may work faster.

5

Opt for a bleaching cream. Reversa HQ and Neo Strata HQ can be purchased over the counter. They contain hydroquinone and kojic acid, which will fade age spots. If you choose this method, you must protect your skin from the sun at all times. If you sustain any kind of a burn, consult with your doctor. You skin will be sensitive and susceptible to the sun's UV rays after it has been slathered in a bleaching cream.

6

Consider undergoing laser surgery, according to Womenfitness.net. The light from the laser removes the brown discoloration in the skin. When the light targets the brown areas, it causes the melanosomes in the cells to break up into small parts, which are then removed from the body by the immune system.