If you find brown and flat patches on your skin, they are usually sunspots. These sunspots occur when your skin is exposed too much to sunlight. They are also known as liver spots, but it’s not related to that organ at all. However, sunspots on skin may be similar to other skin marks too. So, it’s important to distinguish between them, to find the exact remedy for it.
Sunspots are noncancerous and not harmful in any way. But they do change the way your skin looks. You will find a number of home remedies to treat sunspots on skin, right here in this blog. More so, we will tell you all about sunspots and other relevant marks before you try out the home remedies to get rid of them.
Table of Contents
Types of skin spots
It’s completely obvious to worry about an unnatural mark that changes how your skin looks. Organically you put in your concern towards the mark and want to treat it. But before that, you need to know what the different skin spots can be and treat it accordingly. Go through the different skin marks below, and you’ll know which one you have:
Sunspots
Sunspots are a flat area on your skin that discolors. It usually tans due to extreme sun exposure and appears in varying tints of brown. You will see these dark spots mostly on your hands, face, back, and shoulders. You’ll find people to get sunspots after the age of 40, but many get them earlier or even later. Since sunspots are unavoidable, you’ll be better off if you try preventing them before time.
Birthmarks
Birthmarks can either be pigmented or vascular. These marks vary from being flat or elevated, big or small. They even come in several colors and shapes. You will find them to be either red, tan, brown, or even black. Most birthmarks are harmless, but some may have health-related issues as well.
Skin cancer
The Skin Cancer Foundation reports, one out of every five Americans is bound to get skin cancer by the age of 70. Such a condition occurs when there is an uncontrollable growth of abnormal skin cells due to the UV rays.
You will find skin cancer to be of different kinds like basal cell carcinoma being quite common among them all, and melanoma being the most perilous. A growing and changing spot or mole may be alarming signs of skin cancer. In such cases, you will often see the itches and bleeds taking forever to heal. These kinds of skin lesions have serrated edges.
Freckles
Almost every fair-skinned and red hair individual get freckles. However, dark-toned people get them too, but isn’t visible as the freckles get hidden by their skin tone. There is quite a buzz now to get fake freckles as it’s a makeup trend. However, many women having natural freckles may hate them completely.
Freckles are tiny brown skin spots mostly seen on the faces. They usually occur during summers and mostly seen in individuals having dry skin. People having oily skin are more prone to acne than freckles. However, you may find freckles to disappear in the winters, but some home remedies can also treat them well. Freckles may appear with age, but can even appear during the adolescent’s period.
Melasma
Melasma has a few similarities to sunspots as they also pop up due to excessive exposure to the sun. You’ll often see the marks showing up on the forehead, cheeks, nose, and upper lips. The spots of melasma are brown, which makes it quite visible for fair-skinned people.
Usually, women get melasma more than men do. It’s a very common skin condition during pregnancy, and may also appear due to hormonal changes. As you see a lot of melasma spots during pregnancy, they can call it the mask of pregnancy too. But they are noncancerous and completely harmless.
Now that you know all about the different skin spots, you will very well be able to see and distinguish which spot you’ve got. If you’re sure you have got a sunspot, then scroll down to know all the possible remedies.
How to get rid of sunspots on skin?
If you’re sure about the sunspot, you can try these home remedies to get rid of them. Since they are easily curable and harmless these remedies will help you. Just in case, they still persist, you can take professional help for chemical treatments. Below are the home remedies for sunspot. You can just choose the one you like best:
Lemon
Lemon contains acidic properties which help to remove sunspots from your skin.
How to use it?
To use this home remedy, you have to:
- Take a lemon and cotton pads
- Now squeeze out the lemon juice
- Soak the cotton pad in the lemon juice
- Gently apply it on the sunspots
- Allow it to soak in for around 20 minutes
- Rinse off well with cold water
- Pat the area dry with a fresh towel
- Moisturize the area with a gentle salve
Continue this treatment once daily, till the sunspots don’t disappear. Lemon contains bleaching properties which remove the sunspots on the skin and makes it radiant as well.
Cucumber packs
You must try out cucumber packs if you have dry skin. The cooling quotient in cucumbers gives your body a refreshing and relaxing feeling. You feel it both externally and internally, making it compulsory for your skin care routine and your diet. As a sunspot remedy, the vitamin C content in cucumbers helps in depigmentation.
How to use it?
To use this home remedy, you have to:
- Smash half a cucumber
- Put in a tablespoon of plain yogurt
- Whisk it well and evenly apply it on the affected area
- Leave it on until you feel it drying up, and your skin’s stretching
- Apply a gentle pressure to remove it
- Now wash it off well with tap water
You need to do this remedy once daily unless you see the skin spots fading. However, you will see the results with a week or two.
Aloe Vera Gel Pack
Aloe vera has a high content of healing properties. It helps your skin to generate new cells and also makes it smooth and radiant.
How to use it?
To use this home remedy, you have to:
- Take a leaf from the aloe vera plant and cut it in half
- Scrape out the gel from it and apply it on the sunspots
- Allow it to soak in for around 30 minutes
- Rinse off well using tap water
You must try out this remedy once every day to see effective results.
Fuller’s Earth pack
An ancient Indian home remedy for skin care and the cosmetic secret is Fuller’s Earth. It enhances the blood circulation of your skin and opens up the clogged-up pores. Further, it helps to remove destroyed skin cells that tarnish your complexion.
So, you can use Fuller’s Earth not only to remove your sunspots but also to brighten your skin.
How to use it?
To use this home remedy, you have to:
- Make a smooth paste with a tablespoon of aloe vera gel and two tablespoons of Fuller’s Earth
- To enhance the pack, add in some rose water
- Now mix it well and evenly apply it on the sunspots
- Let it dry for around 15-20 minutes
- Wash it off with running cold tap water
Try this out at least three times a week to get desirable results.
Green tea
All of you must be well aware that green tea promotes weight loss and increases your metabolism. But do you know it can also remove your sunspots? Well, yes it does! The antioxidants in green tea fight against various skin conditions like tans and spots.
How to use it?
To use this home remedy, you have to:
- Steep a green tea bag in warm water for about 12 minutes
- Take out the tea bag and wait till it cools off
- Now apply it the dark spots and rinse off after 10minutes
Needless to say, that you can drink green tea, and remember to repeat this remedy two times a day. You will see your health-benefiting, and your sunspots fading away both at the same time.
Cosmetic treatment for sunspots on skin
If you find your sunspots to be stubborn enough not to leave you with all the home remedies, take expert help. A dermatologist will guide you through some relevant professional treatments to remove the sunspots on your skin. Some of the possible professional treatments for sunspots on skin are:
Chemical peels
Chemical peels are a lot like acidic solution on your skin that slowly peels the dark spots off. It takes off the dark sunspots from your skin and makes way for a new layer of skin. You may feel the areas to burn and pain for a while, but a cold compress will give you relief. Eventually, you’ll feel the pain to fade away.
Laser resurfacing
Dermatologists use a laser to remove the damaged layers of your skin. It allows new skin to grow, as it gradually keeps removing the layers. Laser resurfacing depends a lot on how may sunspots you have and can vary from 30 minutes to two hours. It takes around three weeks to completely heal the treated area.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is a process that uses a nitrogen solution to freeze sunspots and other skin lesions that helps to remove them. You will notice skin experts use nitrous oxide rather than, using a nitrogen solution. This helps to treat sunspots and many other superficial skin spots. Although you may have heard plenty of myths, it does not cause blisters or any other skin irritations. However, you need to just tolerate the treatment for a short while, and see the dark spots go away. It’s one of the quickest remedies for sunspots on skin.
Intense pulsed light
Intense pulsed light uses light to aim the dark spots to treat them. The heat disperses the melanin accumulation and removes the sunspots. Even though the treatment completes in 30minutes but it may be a little painful. However, you may require a few more sessions if you have a number of sunspots.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a process through which the top-most layer of the skin is removed with a small tool. The applicator has a sharp tip to remove the dead skin cells. The entire process takes around an hour and is quite painful. Just as the treatment is done, your skin may look reddish and the skin may feel tight, but it normalizes after a while. Although the process is on the tougher side in comparison to the other ones, the end result is just amazing.
Tips to heal sunspots
- If you are someone who needs to go out a lot in the sun for work, it’s obvious to be in direct sun exposure. But you can always prevent yourself from the sun by using a good SPF sunscreen, wearing caps or hats, or even using an umbrella. Always protect yourself from direct rays of the sun to avoid having sunspots.
- Sunspots on your face may bother you the most, but you’ll find them in other places as well. These dark spots appear whenever your body exposes to direct sunlight. So, it’s always best to cover yourself as much as possible when your out in the sun.
- React promptly when you see a brown spot and do not wait for it to grow. The sooner you apply the home remedies and treat sunspots on skin, you will avoid spending money on expert treatments.
Prevention for sunspots on skin
You can prevent yourself from sunspots only by limiting your skin to be in direct sunlight. Some of the preventive measures you can take for sunspots on skin are:
- Avoid going out in the sun from 10 am to 3 pm.
- Always use a high SPF sunscreen when you go out during the day.
- Remember to reapply your sunscreen every two-hours
- Always use makeup that contains SPF in them
- You must cover the areas of your skin as much as you can
- Use hats and dark tint sunglasses
Conclusive Insights
As you know sunspots are absolutely harmless, but they do bother you. So, prevent yourself as much as possible, and if you get one or two of the sunspots use the home remedies, we’ve given you.
But before that, it’s best you speak to your skin expert. A sunspot-looking sign may be some other underlying problem too. So, first know from your doctor well if it’s a sunspot and if you can treat them at home. Then you can very well go ahead, and try out whichever home remedy you like.
