| Brown spots are one of a group of signs that the sun has damaged your skin; others include sagging skin, wrinkles, and engorged facial capillaries. The sun isn't the only culprit in cases like these; others include exposure to cigarette smoke, stress, fatty foods, and pollution. Other causes include the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, menopause, and the use of birth control pills.
What all of the causes have in common is that your body's regulation of melanin production breaks down in some way. Exposure to the sun causes UV rays to damage your elastin and erode collagen, making your skin harsher. Your skin's response is to generate more melanin, adding pigment to your skin. This additional production creates the brown spots. As we age, these spots will sprout over our upper bodies, particularly the shoulders, chest, hands, neck, face and back.
Several all-natural dietary supplements are available that can treat brown spots by minimizing their appearance. By and large, these supplements contain one or more of the following components: kojic acid, aloe vera, Retin A, glycolic acid, green tea, Vitamins C and E, hydroquinone, alpha and beta hydroxyl acids, and antioxidants. The kojic acid and hydroquinone act like bleach in the body, stifling the creation of melanin. The glycolic and salycilic acids get rid of pigmentation and also act as exfoliants, speeding the creation of new skin cells. Antioxidants drive free radicals out of your skin cells.
There are more invasive treatments that can also help you get rid of brown spots. A course of laser treatments is currently one of the faster ways to eliminate these spots. The laser beam shines on the spot, and the light energy goes into oxyhemoglobin cells; the dark cells that you don't want get destroyed, while the healthy ones stay and begin to replicate. Laser therapy also takes less time for recovery than some of the other invasive methods.
If you have many brown spots, you may want to consider getting a chemical peel. Acid is used to take off the top layer of your damaged skin, and the newer, healthy skin underneath becomes the new top layer. Most chemical peels involve the use of alpha hydroxy acids, from natural fruits. The net result should be less noticeable light spots, and a more even pigmentation all over.
Microdermabrasion is another procedure that you might consider for brown spots. A finely honed air-brushed system gently bombards the skin with crystals of aluminum oxide, ultimately eliminating brown spots and other discolorations. The upside of microdermabrasion is that there virtually is no pain involved.
 Looking at this topic more from a maintenance outlook than a procedures focus, there are steps you can take that will both reduce your risk of getting new brown spots as well as get rid of ones that you already have. Regular exfoliation keeps your pores open, free of dead skin and oil that can lead to acne. The blotches that clogged pores create can make brown spots look more exaggerated. Many exfoliators contain Retin A and alpha and beta hydroxyl acids, which bring the pigmentation of brown spots to your skin's surface, ultimately removing it.
When you go outside, put on sunscreen – SPF 30 at minimum. Make sure your sunscreen has Vitamins D and E, which can keep out the free radicals that create conditions for new brown spots, make your tan last longer, and make your brown spots less noticeable.
Lightening creams containing hydroquinone can make your face's appearance more even by making brown spots vanish, improving your skin's tone and bringing your body's production of melanin back into a normal range. Many lightening creams also help with removing acne scars and causing freckles to fade. Whitening masks are also good tools for evening pigmentation. |
