Beauty
The complete guide to eliminating dark spots
Istockphoto Image by: Istockphoto
Beauty
The complete guide to eliminating dark spots
What are dark spots?
“Dark spots, which are sometimes called freckles or lentigines, are areas of the skin where an excess amount of pigment has deposited itself in the upper layers of the skin,” says Dr. Paul Cohen, Director of the Rosedale Dermatology Centre in Toronto. “Patients of all ages complain about brown spots, from teenaged who don’t like their freckles to women in their 50s and 60s who are beginning to develop liver spots.”
Brown spots can surface for a wide swath of reasons, whether as a reaction to “sun-worshipping” (tsk-tsk), medications or certain diseases, explains Holly Sherrard, Education Manager at Dermalogica. Even pollution poses a threat to skin, she says, with recent studies indicating a “possible correlation between pigmentation spots on the skin and contact with pollutants in the air.”
At the same time, Sherrard stresses, not all dark spots are created equal. “Moles, freckles and birthmarks are hereditary and therefore not signs of damage or skin aging,” she says. Dr. Cohen agrees, adding, “Some people are just genetically programmed to develop dark spots, with or without excessive exposure to the sun.”
Can dark spots ever really be eliminated?
Regardless of the cause, a careful concoction of products and dermatological treatments can eliminate some dark spots for good, and fade others to near-oblivion.
“A bleaching product, often combined with a retin-A to boost potency, can help if spots are relatively faint,” explains Dr. Cohen. For darker spots, he suggests heading to your dermatologist’s office for specialized skincare treatments. “If you have dark spots over large areas of skin, your best bet is a laser treatment like intense pulse light therapy, fraxal lasers or photofacials,” he says. “Liquid nitrogen is effective for isolated brown spots, but it might leave behind pinkish or whitish discoloration. With laser treatments, there is more downtime, but also greater benefits.”
For some, the secret to brighter, blemish-free skin might lie at the bottom of a bottle. Dermalogica’s PowerBright TRx, a new line of skin-clearing lotions and masks, is a particularly promising innovation in the realm of dark spot correction. Chock-full of pigment-fighting peptides, soothing algae extract and hydrating hyaluronic acid, “PowerBright TRx contains a powerful combination of skin-brightening agents to safely control the melanin production process” while balancing skin tone and preserving the quality of the skin in the process, explains Sherrard.
Still, those with faded freckles are by no means completely in the clear. “Skin has a memory,” warns Dr. Cohen. “If you don’t use sunscreen religiously, those brown spots are going to come back—which means you’ve wasted time and money.”
What if those pesky dark spots just won't fade?
We suggest you learn to love them. Your dark spots might actually be trending! Revlon’s Global Artistic Director Gucci Westman has admitted to painting freckles onto celebrities’ faces before they hit the red carpet. And, hey, if Olivia Wilde can rock the look, surely you can, too.
“Dark spots, which are sometimes called freckles or lentigines, are areas of the skin where an excess amount of pigment has deposited itself in the upper layers of the skin,” says Dr. Paul Cohen, Director of the Rosedale Dermatology Centre in Toronto. “Patients of all ages complain about brown spots, from teenaged who don’t like their freckles to women in their 50s and 60s who are beginning to develop liver spots.”
Brown spots can surface for a wide swath of reasons, whether as a reaction to “sun-worshipping” (tsk-tsk), medications or certain diseases, explains Holly Sherrard, Education Manager at Dermalogica. Even pollution poses a threat to skin, she says, with recent studies indicating a “possible correlation between pigmentation spots on the skin and contact with pollutants in the air.”
At the same time, Sherrard stresses, not all dark spots are created equal. “Moles, freckles and birthmarks are hereditary and therefore not signs of damage or skin aging,” she says. Dr. Cohen agrees, adding, “Some people are just genetically programmed to develop dark spots, with or without excessive exposure to the sun.”
Can dark spots ever really be eliminated?
Regardless of the cause, a careful concoction of products and dermatological treatments can eliminate some dark spots for good, and fade others to near-oblivion.
“A bleaching product, often combined with a retin-A to boost potency, can help if spots are relatively faint,” explains Dr. Cohen. For darker spots, he suggests heading to your dermatologist’s office for specialized skincare treatments. “If you have dark spots over large areas of skin, your best bet is a laser treatment like intense pulse light therapy, fraxal lasers or photofacials,” he says. “Liquid nitrogen is effective for isolated brown spots, but it might leave behind pinkish or whitish discoloration. With laser treatments, there is more downtime, but also greater benefits.”
For some, the secret to brighter, blemish-free skin might lie at the bottom of a bottle. Dermalogica’s PowerBright TRx, a new line of skin-clearing lotions and masks, is a particularly promising innovation in the realm of dark spot correction. Chock-full of pigment-fighting peptides, soothing algae extract and hydrating hyaluronic acid, “PowerBright TRx contains a powerful combination of skin-brightening agents to safely control the melanin production process” while balancing skin tone and preserving the quality of the skin in the process, explains Sherrard.
Still, those with faded freckles are by no means completely in the clear. “Skin has a memory,” warns Dr. Cohen. “If you don’t use sunscreen religiously, those brown spots are going to come back—which means you’ve wasted time and money.”
What if those pesky dark spots just won't fade?
We suggest you learn to love them. Your dark spots might actually be trending! Revlon’s Global Artistic Director Gucci Westman has admitted to painting freckles onto celebrities’ faces before they hit the red carpet. And, hey, if Olivia Wilde can rock the look, surely you can, too.
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