Find Home Remedies for Age Spots

Causes

Age spots, also known as liver spots, are blemishes that were once believed to be caused by liver problems. However, this was found to be untrue. They are commonly caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays. When the skin is exposed to UV rays, extra melanin, a black pigment found in the skin (which creates a tan), is produced to help protect the deeper layers of the skin. Overtime, the accumulation of melanin forms age spots.

Age spots are mostly seen in people over 40; however, it is possible for younger people to have them. They are harmless flat, dark brown spots that vary in size and shape. Age spots do not become cancerous. They appear most often on areas of the body that have had the most sun exposure, such as the back of the hands, forearms, face, and shoulders. People with fair skin and individuals who spend a lot of time in the sun are most at risk.

Home remedies for age spots can help get rid of them, but it can take a couple of months or longer to see results.

You can help prevent them by using sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun and by avoiding other forms of UV light.

Home Remedies

• Dip a cotton ball in fresh lemon juice and dab it on your age spots twice a day. Lemon juice can cause the skin to become sensitive to sunlight so be sure to protect your skin during treatment.

• Apply the fleshy side of a papaya skin to the spots for 15-20 minutes once a day.

• Fresh juice from an aloe plant is an effective way in removing age spots naturally. Apply two times a day.

• Mash 1/3 cup of garbanzo beans and mix a little water in it to form a paste. Smear it over your spots and keep it there until it dries and begins crumbling off.

• Onions and garlic are wonderful remedies to help get rid of age spots. You can either extract the juice and apply or you can slice them and rub it directly on the spots. The acid in both will cause the outer layers of the skin to shed and the spots should disappear in a couple of months.

• Fresh cucumber juice can also lighten age spots. Avoid direct sunlight to the affected area after application.

• Mix 1 teaspoon of orange juice to 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and rub this mixture on your spots.

Other home remedies for age spots include applying one of the following:

• castor oil
• vitamin E oil
• buttermilk
• yogurt

Photo Credit

Image courtesy of the National Library of Medicine (NLM)

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