An Overview of the Causes and Treatments of Sun Spots
With the increased sun activity and a thinner ozone layer, more and more dermatologists strongly advice people to avoid sun exposure for extended periods. The main reason why some doctors go as far as to recommend patients with sensitive skin to wear UV creams whenever they have work to do outdoors, comes from the fact that sunspots on skin have a high potential of further developing into skin cancer. Therefore, if you notice warts or unusual pigmentation in the areas of your body that are often exposed, such as the face, ears, cleavage or hands, you should immediately have them checked by your doctor.
Wearing a SPF 15 cream or higher can surely help you prevent getting sunspots on skin. However, in case you got them on your skin, then you should know there are various methods you can employ to clear them out. The easiest way you can get rid of them is by applying skin whitening products. Available in both local pharmacies and as over the counter medication, the skin whitening products usually do the trick, as their main role is to inhibit the production of melanin.
However, it is advisable that you ask your dermatologist to prescribe you a product with the right amount of hydroquione. Since melanin’s role in the skin is to develop a protective shield against harmful UV factor, considerably reducing the melanin production can cause further complications. At the same time, not inhibiting a sufficient amount of melanin to fade out the sunspots on skin will render the product useless. In addition, by visiting the dermatologist you can learn more about the alternative methods of fading these spots out. For instance, a common medical procedure of dealing with skin imperfections or spots is the chemical peeling, a noninvasive procedure that is known for its efficiency in the treatment of acne.
If the sun spots are giving you a hard time and they cannot be removed with any of the aforementioned methods, then you should consider resurfacing. This method is similar to the chemical peel, the only difference between these techniques is that the resurfacing employs a special laser. This laser procedure implies removing the upper layers of damaged skin and hence, making way for new healthy skin. Although a bit more expensive than the chemical peel, the advantage of the resurfacing is in the fact that it promotes the growth of Elastin and collagen.
Another treatment option for sunspots on skin is the microdermabrasion. As the name suggests, the technique refers to removing the damaged thin layers of skin via very small particles or a diamond-tip wand. Similar to the laser procedure, microdermabrasion has the advantage of promoting the growth of collagen. On the other hand, the penetration of the microparticles is superficial. While you should not expect to get the same results as a laser procedure, the great thing about microdermabrasion is that it is not as harmful as resurfacing and hence, it will not cause oozing, swelling, redness or pain.