Five home remedies to tackle your age spots

When your skin is exposed to the sun it causes the cells known as melanocytes that increase melanin in the skin to increase production and this turns your skin darker. These dark skin patches are more commonly referred to as brown spots, dark spots, sun spots, age spots and liver spots.

The fact is, it doesn’t matter what your skin colour or ethnic background, most of you will develop them.

Don’t let it get you down though, there’s good news.

First, age spots are generally always harmless. They aren’t cancerous, but be sure to get spots checked by your health care professional because some skin cancers, like melanoma, can look like age spots.

Second, because you all know how unsightly age spots can be there are a great many simple, completely natural remedies you can use to lighten your age spots at home. Best of all, the ingredients are likely to be found right in your kitchen!

Here are five to try.

1. Aloe vera
It’s commonly used to treat a number of skin ailments, and you can use it to treat your age spots.

2. Buttermilk
Believe it or not, buttermilk is often used to reduce brown spots and skin pigmentation. The lactic acid that it contains tends to lighten the skin safely without causing any irritation.

3. Lemon juice
The citric acid in lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent. It also exfoliates the skin, which helps to reduce the appearance of brown spots.

It’s worth noting that you will need to allow the juice to dry before heading outdoors as it increases your skin’s sensitivity to sunlight.

Bottled lemon juice doesn’t have the same effect, and the other thing you need to be aware of is that the bottled stuff might contain other chemicals that aren’t good for your skin. Citric acid weakens over time, which is another reason you’ll want the fresh stuff.

4. Pawpaw (also known as papaya)
This is not a good one if you are allergic to pawpaw, so the recommendation would be to do a 24-hour patch test before attempting this remedy.

That said, pawpaw has certain enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids that can help exfoliate your skin and reduce skin blemishes, acne, age spots and other skin issues. Additionally, it will give your skin a cleaner and brighter appearance. Winning!

5. Sandalwood
Believed to contain effective anti-ageing properties, sandalwood is often used to reduce the appearance of age spots.

Your age spots won’t disappear overnight with these remedies, but with a bit of patience and perseverance you’ll start to see changes.

Do you have age spots you’d like to get rid of? Have you heard of these remedies? What other remedies are you aware of?