Excessive exposure to the sun and its harsh UV rays increases the melanin production rate in your skin. This places you at risk of hyperpigmentation, leading to the development of sunspots on your body. Sunspots can be identified as flat, brown spots on small, concentrated areas of your skin. They generally appear in areas most exposed to the sun’s rays, such as your arms, hands, and face.
While subjecting your skin to the sun too much is not beneficial for your health, sunspots are generally non-harmful and non-cancerous. Regardless of their harmlessness, preventing them may still benefit your health as it leads to a lowered risk of skin cancer and is therefore recommended!
Here are the different ways to prevent sunspots from appearing on your skin:
Sun removal treatments
There are plenty of effective sun spot removal treatments at cosmetic clinics. Laser treatments, microneedling, and HydraFacials are faster-acting sunspot-removal methods. The sunspots would not stand a chance in the hands of a professional!
Laser treatments
Laser treatment utilizes a targeted laser to break apart the pigmentation on the skin. This aids in significantly lightening the darkened area.
Microneedling
Microneedling allows very fine needles to penetrate the skin, activating and stimulating its healing process. This, in turn, lightens the skin and reduces sunspots by increasing collagen production.
Hydrafacials
If you’re looking for a less invasive and painful method to have your sunspots professionally removed, HydraFacials might be the solution. Acting as an exfoliant, which decreases the pigmentation of the skin, the vitamins and minerals in HydraFacials aid the process.
Sunscreen
Applying sunscreen to your face and body daily has extreme benefits for your skin. It creates a surface reflecting and absorbing some harmful UV rays. The fewer UV rays that can penetrate your skin, the more likely you are to avoid attaining sunspots!
It is also crucial to reapply sunscreen throughout the day, usually in two-hour intervals, to ensure that your skin has a constant shield against UV rays.
Avoid sun exposure
The sun is usually strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., emitting harsh UV rays. Sunspots may also be prevented by simply restricting the direct exposure of your skin to the sun’s rays during this period.
This may mean staying in the shade as much as possible until the harshness is not so extreme.
Protective clothing
Of course, avoiding the sun during these hours is not always possible. Instead, a solution would consist of wearing clothing that protects and shields your skin, such as long clothing and hats. Wool, polyester, and nylon are some of the better sun-blocking fabrics you may consider wearing to minimize the risk of sun exposure and sunspots.
Additionally, thick, loose-fitting garments increase the amount of protection provided, as tight-fitting garments may stretch and decrease the quality of protection.
Skin exfoliation
Exfoliating creates breakage in pigment cells in your skin, allowing for a decrease in hyperpigmentation. Gentle exfoliation should be performed around 3-4 times per week, which, if kept up, would lower the chances of sunspots.
It may not be realistic to be able to constantly follow these methods of skin protection from sunspots, and even if followed, they may still find a way to appear on your body. Luckily, there are methods comprising more natural or artificial treatments via which they are removable.
Here are some ways in which you can remove or have your sunspots removed:
Gels, teas, and serums
Aloe vera, black and green tea, and vitamin C are all terrific natural ingredients that can decrease sunspot marks. They all work towards lightening the area of the skin where applied, leaving your sunspots spotless after constant application.
Aloe vera
Aloe vera’s skin-lightening capabilities arise from chemicals known as aloin and aloesin. These chemicals eliminate the melanin cells and disallow their further formation, which ensures a successful skin-lightening process for the hyperpigmented areas.
Black tea and green tea
Black tea and green tea are two other dark spot preventers. The caffeine content present works to reduce pigmentation. Applying a used tea bag to the affected areas by rubbing it could help the sunspots fade.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C acts as a melanin inhibitor. By stopping its production, it manages to bring down the darkness of the sunspots, eventually eliminating them.
To summarise, it may be best to avoid procuring sunspots altogether. This could be done by avoiding the sun during the late mornings till the late afternoon, wearing clothing with more coverage and protection from the sun, and the constant appliance of sunscreen and exfoliation. However, if you already have sunspots, you could treat them via gels, teas, and serums or cosmetic treatments such as laser removal, facials, and microneedling.
