What's the best age spot remover?

Well, if you want to see a big improvement, then you might be interested in a complete plan that includes some preventative maintenance.

Here, you can learn about one such plan.

What Causes the Spots?

The cause of irregular pigmentation and age spots comes down to sun damage, specifically UV damage. UV radiation triggers melanocytes within the skin's layers to produce melanin, a pigment responsible for the skin's color. If melanin production is even, then a fair-skinned person may develop a tan.
UV radiation also triggers the production of free radical molecules.

Over time, which frequent overexposure to the sun and occasional burning, free radical molecules can damage some of the melanocytes, causing them to "misfire". Some of them produce too much melanin. That's when people begin to see uneven pigmentation and start looking for an age spot remover.

What Can Prevent Them?

Avoiding overexposure to the sun, using a good sun-block that contains zinc oxide and wearing protective clothing will prevent sun damage and reduce your risk of skin cancer. Although they are not precursors to cancerous cells, free radical damage is an underlying cause of both of them.

The body has built in mechanisms that prevent free radical damage. They are called antioxidants. The antioxidant vitamin E is known to help prevent age spots from appearing, but the skin's cells, just like the rest of the cells of the body, produce their own antioxidants, which are even more effective than vitamin E.

Now, even if you find an effective age spot remover, you need preventative maintenance. Otherwise, the spots will simply come back and your skin will be no healthier than it was before.

What Ingredients Are Proven to Fade Them?

A number of different ingredients have been used to inhibit melanin production. One of the most popular ingredients, at least among major cosmetic companies in the US, is hydroquinone. It's been banned in other countries, because it can cause increased pigmentation and may increase a person's risk of skin cancer.

The root of a medicinal plant has been shown to inhibit melanin production by as much as 40% and it's completely safe. The ingredient is called nut-grass or cyperus rotundus root extract.

There are a couple of problems with an age spot remover that inhibits melanin production. First, it can lighten any skin that it comes into contact with. That might not be desirable.

Second, melanin in the epidermis naturally protects the deeper layers from UV rays that can cause skin cancer.

If you do want to lighten your overall complexion, you need to be careful to focus on preventative maintenance, because the spots will come back, as mentioned above, and because lighter skin is more sensitive to sunlight.

Older people do not want to risk sunburn. The damage can lead to skin cancer.

There are other ingredients that will improve the skin's antioxidant content and even stimulate the skin's cells to produce more of them.

Instead of looking for an age spot remover, you might want to learn about those ingredients.