Removing Age Spots With Light and Creams

Anyone in Elk Grove who wants an age spot gone usually faces the same two choices: a cream at home or a light-based or peel procedure in a clinic. This page reports what two sources say about each and where a home attempt should end.

The home approach: lightening creams

Medical News Today names one ingredient class: "Bleaching agents, such as hydroquinone, can be an effective treatment option for solar lentigines. However, they are not suitable for seborrheic keratoses."

That second sentence is the warning. A cream suited to one kind of spot is not suited to another, and telling the two apart is a job for a professional. Have one look before you buy a cream.

What creams ask of you

The American Academy of Dermatology says creams ask for patience: "Creams and lotions, however, require discipline. To see results, you have to apply a cream or lotion once or twice a day for weeks or months."

The same academy says procedures work faster but cost more and carry a higher risk of side effects, so creams are the slower, lower-risk route. The cost of that safety is time and steady use.

What the clinic route involves

A National Library of Medicine (PMC) article on physician-directed lasers, chemical peels and other noninvasive modalities covers the options a physician may choose from. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery also keeps a photorejuvenation page under its skin treatments.

When a cream has had its chance

Stop a home cream and ask a licensed professional when a spot does not fade after the weeks or months of steady use the American Academy of Dermatology describes. Ask too if you cannot tell what kind of spot you have, or before you consider a laser or a peel.