12 Quick Remedies for Age Spots 

Age spots – small, flat, brown patches that typically appear on areas of the body, such as the face, hands, shoulders, chest and arms, that have been exposed to a lot of sunlight over time – are part of the aging process. However, there are things you can do to prevent them or get rid of them, according to Mona Foad, MD, MHS, Board Certified Dermatologist, MONA Dermatology. Here are key quick remedies to make the spots less noticeable.

Skin-Lightening Creams and Lotions

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There are numerous skin-brightening options available in drugstores, retail stores, and doctor’s offices that can be used to minimize the appearance of age spots, according to Dr. Foad. “Your first line of defense should be a good broad-spectrum sunscreen that can help protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays,” she says. One of her favorites is Colorscience Sunforgettable ® Total Protection ® Face Shield Flex SPF 50 “a mineral-based sunscreen that magically autocorrects to your skin tone,” she says. “A great 2 in 1 product that combines antioxidants with sunscreen is SkinMedica Total Defense + Repair SPF 34. A second line of defense should be antioxidants such as Vitamin C serums and retinoids. “You could splurge for Skinceuticals Phloretin or choose a more affordable option with La Roche Posay’s 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum l La Roche Posay,” she says. “Retinoids are well known for their anti-aging benefits but can also help with brown spots. RetrinAL Advanced Correcting Serum is a good over-the-counter choice because it combines retinols, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.” Her third line of defense is to use a pigment brightener that helps to not only lighten brown spots but also prevent brown spots from forming. “To prevent more brown spots from coming to the surface, look for creams that contain tranexamic acid, niacinamide, or kojic acid. Splurge on SKinMedica’s Even & Correct Advanced Brightening Treatment. It’s important to keep in mind that consistent use of creams for weeks or months is necessary for them to be effective on the skin,” she says.

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Physician-Prescribed Medication or Remedies

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Some patients might require special formulas or creams that are stronger than drugstore options. “In such cases, physicians can prescribe more effective remedies, such as hydroquinone or retinoids to treat age spots,” says Dr. Foad. “Hydroquinone is a bleaching cream that can be effective at treating superficial age spots, but it should not be used for more than 8-12 weeks at a time without taking a ‘hydroquinone holiday; for 8-12 weeks before incorporating it back into your skincare routine,” she explains. “It is not recommended to use anything higher than a 4% hydroquinone cream since this can actually cause more brown patches to form, a condition called ochronosis. As mentioned above, retinoids are well known for their anti-aging benefits but can also help with brown spots. Prescription Retin-A, or tretinoin, can be an effective way to treat some age spots.”

Age Spot Procedures

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If you want to get rid of dark spots quickly, opting for a procedure that eliminates layers of discolored skin may yield better results compared to using a lightening cream. “These techniques include light and laser-based treatments, cryotherapy (freezing), microdermabrasion, and chemical peels. It's important to note that procedures typically entail higher costs than creams and carry additional risks,” says Dr. Foad.

Laser Treatment

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Laser treatment, also known as laser therapy or laser resurfacing, is a medical procedure that uses concentrated light beams to target and treat various skin issues. “Narrow beams of light are used to get rid of the cells that cause age spots without damaging the rest of the skin,” explains Dr. Foad. Treatments such as picosecond lasers have minimal to no downtime, whereas resurfacing lasers may require some preplanning. “Depending on the treatment chosen and the amount of sun damage or age spots, desired results may require one to multiple sessions. Initially, laser treatments may lead to skin crusting or darkening of spots, yet these temporary side effects typically go away quickly.”

Intense Pulse Light Treatments

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IPL or BBL (Broadband light) is a great way to treat both brown age spots and redness from sun damage, according to Dr. Foad. “Filters are used to isolate the correct wavelength to target either redness or brown discoloration in your skin. You can treat the face as well as other areas of the body that have age spots. This is a very popular treatment because it has minimal downtime and is not painful. You will need multiple sessions to achieve the best results.”

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Chemical Peel

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Another option is a chemical peel. “In a chemical peel, a solution containing acids is applied to the skin to eliminate layers where age spots are present. Peels can range from superficial glycolic or salicylic acid peels, which cause dry flaking skin for a few days, or stronger medium-depth peels, such as TCA or phenol peels, that are done by a done by a medical professional and cause more significant peeling with over a week of downtime,” she explains. “Fresh skin will subsequently regenerate, resulting in a more even skin tone. Achieving desired outcomes may necessitate multiple sessions. Although generally considered safe, deeper chemical peels have risks, including scarring, infection, or alterations in skin pigmentation.”

Freezing (Cryotherapy)

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Cryotherapy is a medical procedure that uses extreme cold temperatures to treat various skin conditions or lesions. “Liquid nitrogen is applied to the skin for a few seconds to freeze the areas where the spots are. As your skin heals, it will develop a small crust revealing lighter skin underneath, but the treatment can cause irritation, swelling, blisters, or redness,” says Dr. Foad.

Cautery

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Electrocautery can be used to treat some age spots. “In this treatment, an electric current is used to create injury to the superficial layers of skin, causing an age spot to crust and scab and fall off,” says Dr. Foad. “This is a controlled injury using very low energy and should only be used by an experienced health professional. It can be a more effective way to treat some age spots in people of color.”

Dermabrasion

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“For this procedure, a rapidly spinning brush is used to sand down the spotted skin area so new skin can replace it,” explains Dr. Foad. “Multiple sessions may be necessary for this procedure to be effective. Potential side effects include redness, scabbing, and swelling. Additionally, it may take an extended period for your skin to fully heal and regain its normal appearance.” She adds that this is not a common way to treat most age spots.

Microdermabrasion

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Microdermabrasion uses tiny crystals to exfoliate the skin instead of a spinning brush. “It's gentler on the skin compared to dermabrasion,” says Dr. Foad. However, achieving the desired results for age spot reduction may require multiple treatments spread over several months. “This treatment will only treat the most superficial age spots and will not go below the surface of the skin. One advantage is it will leave your skin feeling more smooth and allows your skin care products to penetrate better. Possible side effects include temporary redness or flakiness of the skin.”

Microneedling

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For this procedure, fine needles are used to create small, evenly distributed punctures in your skin. “Your body reacts to these minor wounds by producing new collagen and elastin, essential components for youthful skin, to facilitate healing. Although this is a great way to rejuvenate the skin and improve overall skin texture and quality, it is not the best way to target age spots,” explains Dr. Foad.

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Age Spot Prevention

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Prevention can be the most effective way to address age spots. “Avoiding excess sun exposure from a young age, avoiding tanning beds and using proper skin care can be the best defense,” maintains Dr. Foad. “To maintain lighter age spots and prevent the formation of new ones, try to minimize sun exposure, particularly during peak hours of intensity. Apply a high-quality, broad-spectrum sunscreen before heading outdoors and reapply it frequently. Using gloves, hats, or other clothing on age-spot areas can help shield them and prevent new ones from forming.”

💪🔥Body Booster: First thing’s first: To avoid age spots in the first place, lather up in sunscreen every day.

As a gerontologist and healthy aging expert, it's my job not only to study the physical, psychological, and social aspects of aging throughout the lifespan but also to study how age-related decline and disease can be prevented. That's why I wanted to share these top breakthrough strategies that are not only based on solid scientific research but also on my personal experiences and observations in the field of healthy aging.

Whether it's managing stress, adapting your diet, or adjusting your exercise routines, these strategies are designed to help you maintain vitality and thrive throughout the years. So, let's dive in and explore these transformative techniques that can lead you to a healthier, more youthful lifestyle. Here are my top 5 breakthrough healthy aging strategies.

Learn to Manage Stress!

Darnell Cox

We are living in an overly-caffeinated, sleep-deprived, plugged-in world which has raised our chronic stress levels (that low level stress that is constant in our lives) to new higher setpoints. So, even though we may not feel overly stressed out, our bodies tell a different story. Stress causes an inflammatory response in the body, and inflammation has been linked to all age-related diseases - everything from cardiovascular disease to cancer! If you want to live longer, implement a daily stress-reduction practice. Find a practice that works for your lifestyle. Maybe that’s getting out in nature for 30 minutes a day. Perhaps a daily practice of yoga, meditation or breathwork is right for you. Incorporate your method into a consistent daily practice, even when you don’t feel particularly stressed.

The Gerontologist's How-To: The best science-backed way to de-stress in real time is to practice the Physiological Sigh. This breathing technique is the quickest way to kickstart your parasympathetic nervous system to reduce your heart rate and destress almost instantly.

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Here is how you do it:

Darnell Cox

Take an inhale, filling up your lungs, then inhale even more, followed by a longer slower exhale. This exhale focused breathing is the quickest way known to decrease the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight system) by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest system). Double inhale, Longer slower exhale. Try it!

Deliberate Cold Exposure

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I know. I know. Seems painful, and if I’m being honest, it is! However, there are so many health benefits that I decided to try cold plunging, and now, it is a part of my morning routine. Contrary to the images we see on social media, you do not need to break through frozen ponds or dump your entire ice supply from your freezer into your tub. The ideal temperature for a cold plunge is between 50-60 degrees. You can get that ideal temperature of cold water right out of your own bathtub.

The Gerontologist's How-To: No need for expensive cryotherapy or cold plunge pools. Simply fill up your tub with cold water and get in up to your neck for 2-3 minutes. Me? I play the Rocky’s Theme Song (Gonna Fly Now), which pumps me up and gives me the push I need. I stay under the cold water doing Tumo Breathing (quick exhales as if you are breathing out of a straw) until my body acclimates. My cold plunge time is exactly 2 minutes and 47 seconds each morning (the exact length of the Rocky Theme song). Cold plunging first thing in the morning is best. Although it feels freezing on our outsides, it actually heats our core. This does two things - it helps set your sleep wake cycle and will actually help you fall asleep faster later that same night, and it kick starts your metabolism. It takes energy to warm your core, and energy means it burns calories! Hooray! In fact, when I wear my Aura ring in the tub, it tracks my 2:47 cold plunge as a 20 minute workout. That’s how powerful it is!

Red Light Therapy

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The scientific evidence supporting the health and beauty benefits of red light therapy is undeniable. In fact, red light technology has even been used by astronauts in space to speed wound healing. It’s common knowledge that light has an effect on our bodies. Ultra Violet rays from the sun can change the pigment of the skin, and can result in a sunburn. The Red Light spectrum, however, passes safely through the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) and hits the deeper layers of the skin. It has been shown to decrease wrinkles, even out skin tone and texture, increase circulation, decrease inflammation in the body, decrease joint pain, and even boost your mood! Can certain spectrums of light help you look better, feel better, and increase your lifespan? YES! In fact, near-infrared light has shown to go as deep as bone, and perhaps to the bone marrow itself, re-energizing aging cells.

The Gerontologist's How-To: To get started with Red Light Therapy (RLT), you can either visit a professional facility such as a dermatologist’s office, spa, or specialized RLT clinic, or you can purchase a home device that has FDA approval.

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Grounding (Otherwise Known as Earthing)

Darnell Cox

Something so simple as getting outside and taking your shoes off can have profound health benefits. We are made to walk on the earth, and there are many health benefits to prove it. The earth is negatively charged. We humans are naturally positively charged. However, in times of stress, we can lose electrons, giving us even more of a positive charge than is ideal (AKA free radicals). By stepping barefoot on the earth, the earth acts as a sponge soaking up these free radicals in an energy exchange. It’s one of the most profound health hacks, and it’s absolutely free.

The Gerontologist's How-To: Just step outside and put your feet in the grass, sand, dirt, or water source, and let nature do the rest. Don’t have access to the outdoors year-round? Then you may want to look into a grounding mattress pad or grounding mat. Grounding devices plug into the third port of an indoor electrical outlet, which is grounding to the earth, and work in the same way as stepping outside. Health benefits include a decrease in blood pressure, heart rate,and inflammation. It also boosts your mood by decreasing anxiety and depression, and even improves gut health by increasing microbiome diversity.

Intermittent Fasting

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I’ve been Intermittent Fasting for 30+ years! This notion that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is quite frankly B.S. that is spoon fed to us (no pun intended) by the big food manufacturing companies that line our supermarket shelves with ultra processed breakfast cereals. It’s not “breakfast” that is the most important meal, it’s how you break-your-fast that is the most important. For me, that’s not in the morning hours, but at noon or 1pm. It’s not as difficult as it seems. If you sleep (hopefully) for 8 hours, you’ve just done an 8 hour fast.

The Gerontologist's How-To: By simply skipping breakfast, you ease into a 12-16 hour fast. If this seems crazy, just know that we are not made to have food at our beacon call. We are made to go for long periods of time without eating. And it’s in times of deprivation that our bodies reach into our fat cells for energy. That’s how we reach a state of ketosis, when our bodies are burning fat for energy. It’s not by eating a keto-friendly nutrition bar or having keto-friendly coffee. You do not need to purchase any food products for your body to burn fat, you simply have to deny it a steady stream of food.

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Do Age-Appropriate Exercise

Darnell Cox

One of the most common mistakes I see in working with my 1:1 clients is a lack of the age-specific exercise. The way we exercise needs to change with age. Excessive cardio, which was fine for us as youngsters, can actually be detrimental to building muscle mass, which we need more of as we age. Beginning in our 30’s, our muscle mass starts to decline, which can lead to sarcopenia (when fat infiltrates the muscle fiber), making it very difficult to lose weight.

The Gerontologist's How-To: Therefore, strength training becomes more important as we age. Muscles are calorie-burning machines, folks! The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn! And muscle gives us strength which we need to remain active and mobile. Joint flexibility also declines with age, so incorporating a consistent stretching routine is imperative. Strength + Flexibility = Mobility, and remaining mobile is key to healthy aging.

Don't Fall Into an "Anti-Aging" Trap

Darnell Cox

There is one thing else I would like to add, which takes us back to the very first question asked by this very website… “Could you introduce your expertise in Gerontology and offer insights into anti-aging?" Ugh. I kinda loathe that word “anti-aging” since going back to school. It puts a negative connotation on growing older. I went into USC Leonard School of Gerontology (while in my 50’s) using the word “anti-aging,” and left having graduated using instead, “Healthy Aging.” This transition happened in my very first class when I had my professor all but snarl at me when I asked her to be on my YouTube channel. She denied my request due to terms like “Anti-aging” and “age-defying” that were commonplace back then.

I soon switched to Healthy Aging, and for good reason. Aging is inevitable. It’s going to happen. We are not trying to stop aging, but rather age in such a way that we are looking, feeling and functioning our best throughout the lifespan. And hopefully, with a little luck, one day we’ll ALL be wrinkly ol'’ women! That would be a blessing!

The Gerontologist's How-To: The thing that is the most important thing I teach is that you, me, we ALL have the power to start right now down a different path that changes how we feel, how we function, how much pain we are in, how mobile we are, how long we live, and yes, to some extent even how we look during the aging process. A lot of how we age is in our own hands. You are NEVER too young to start thinking about aging, and you are NEVER too old to start Living Young.

Darnell Cox, a Gerontologist and Healthy Aging Coach is the founder of Live Young Lifestyle.

You don’t have to go under the knife to look and feel younger. In fact, there are a variety of things you can do to promote longevity that don’t even cost a dime. “Looking and feeling younger naturally involves a holistic approach,” explains Certified fitness trainer Jason Kozma, aka Mr. America and Mr. Muscle Beach, who is a champion bodybuilder who trains clients at Santa Monica-based High Performance Personal Training. “Consistency is key, so stick to these habits over the course of 8 weeks to see and feel the difference,” he says, offering some tips to look and feel better naturally.

Clean Up Your Diet

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First and foremost, clean up your diet. “Eat natural, non-man-made foods like lean meats, green vegetables, natural carbohydrates, like oats or potatoes instead of bread, fruit, instead of sodas or candies or baked items,” he suggests. Also, avoid food in boxes, meal prep yourself, and shop around the edge of the store, not in the middle.

Drink More Water

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“Drink more water – and mostly just water,” suggests Kozma. “Aim for 100 ounces per day.” According to the Mayo Clinic, hydration is important for a variety of reasons. Water helps get rid of waste through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements, keeps your temperature normal, lubricates and cushions joints, and helps protect sensitive tissues.

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Exercise Regularly

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Regular exercise is another key to longevity. “Incorporate a mix of cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises into your routine to maintain muscle mass, improve circulation, and keep your body strong and flexible,” he suggests.

Get Enough Sleep

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Also, get enough sleep. “The average person needs about eight hours of sleep per night so your body can heal and your mind can be clear,” says Kozma. What are the health benefits of sleep? According to the Sleep Foundation, getting enough z’s is a mood booster, promotes heart health, regulates blood sugar, improves mental function, restores your immune system, helps relieve stress, and aids in weight loss.

Control Stress

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Controlling your stress is also key. “Find ways to keep your mind calm. The exercise mentioned above goes a great way toward managing stress. Many people bolster this by adding meditation, practice, or yoga. Excessive stress creates cortisol, which is an aging hormone,” Kozma says.

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Create a New Skincare Routine

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Creating a new skincare routine can also brighten up your complexion. “Cleanse, moisturize, and protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays with sunscreen to prevent premature aging,” Kozma recommends.

Limit Alcohol and Quit Smoking

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If you want to look younger, consider bidding adieu to bad habits. “Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking can accelerate aging, so limit alcohol intake and avoid smoking altogether,” says Koza.

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Think Positively

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Finally, try having a positive mindset. “Cultivate a positive outlook on life, practice gratitude, and surround yourself with supportive people to promote mental well-being, which can contribute to a youthful appearance and attitude,” Kozma concludes.

💪🔥Body Booster: Before you spend a lot of money trying to look younger, make some changes to your lifestyle that will help you look and feel more youthful.