What Are Age Spots – Causes and Preventions

Are Age Spots caused by age? Are they caused by the sun? Are they dangerous? Are they the same things as “liver spots”? What are Age Spots?

How things usually work: boys and girls run around in the sun, get burned, hate to put on lotion, get poison ivy, dry skin, etc. or are lathered or sprayed by their well meaning mothers with very harsh cancer causing sunscreens and they are perfectly happy about it all (well, maybe not the poison ivy).

Then teenage years and your twenties hit. Guys and gals alike sun bathe. Gals put on loads of makeup, perfumes, harsh anti-antiperspirant deodorants, and think their skin is invincible. After all, it’s all about the looks right now.

Then, we get a bit older. About your mid to late thirties reality starts to sink in. Tiny lines start to be seen near the eyes and mouth. WHAT? Ugh! Then, if you are fair skinned and especially if you’ve also had a lot of early sun exposure you may begin to see a tiny tan patch on your face. The first one I ever got was beside my nose, under my eye.  I went to a dermatologist and was told it was a “sun spot”, also called a “liver spot”. But I thought people in their 80s and 90s got liver spots!? Like, my granny! What the heck!

What are Sun Spots?

My first question to this dermatologist I visited was, “What is it and why is it coming out now?” His answer: damaged skin and it had to come out some time. This guy was a jewel (I’m lying). If you’d like to hear about my funny visit, see my article on Essential Oils and Skin Cancer research. I have done a lot of research myself since then. Here is some of the great information I’ve discovered.

1) Sun spots are most often caused by our response to UV rays from the sun that have harmed our skin cells on deep levels. As a response, our bodies will produce more melanin in order to create darker skin over those damaged skin cells in order to help protect those cells from the sun’s harsh UV rays.

2) Melasma is usually larger patches on the face than a simple sun spot. It is known for coming out during pregnancy and usually disappears afterwards. It is a hormonal response that usually happens in those who are not very light or not very dark skinned. It can be brought on by a combination of UV rays combining with hormonal responses from pregnancy, birth control pills, or hormone therapy. It usually goes away after stopping use of birth control pills or giving birth.

3) Cancerous spots or moles. Obviously, when you enter into the area of multiple colored, changing, peeling, bleeding etc. spots there is something else obviously going on. These are skin cells that are damaged to a much greater degree. It is not simply a reaction to UV rays, hormonal changes, and melanin production. Needless to say, always get these checked out by a well recommended dermatologist.

Prevention

Prevention really is key. Like I said above, most of us are oblivious and then feel invincible until we start to see changes in our skin. At least now we know more about sun damage and can help our children not to get those bad burns that will come out later in life. Unfortunately, too much sun exposure has been replaced with toxic chemicals found within most sunscreens.

Please make your own sun screens!! You can add essential oils that help to heal and protect the skin. Use Non-nano zinc oxide that will not penetrate skin cells and will wash off afterward.

You can get Sunscreen Recipes HERE and Buy some in my Store HERE.

1. Use natural sunscreen, but allow your skin to absorb the sun without being burned. A careful balance is very important for skin health.
2. Use Natural Skin Care Products. Make your own. I have tons of Recipes HERE on my blog. And I have a lot to choose from in my store. Whatever you’re most comfortable with, make sure it’s natural in order to minimize skin damage (and organ toxicity).
3. Eat Healthy! Real Food – ingredients that you can pronounce and know where they came from. If you are not sure of the source or if you don’t know what it is, choose something else. Real food and drinking enough filtered water is probably THE most important choice you can make for your skin. Don’t fluff this off. It is KEY!

Healing

If you’ve searched and found this article, chances are you already have some sun spots and are wondering what you can do to make them go away. Well, now that you know how they are caused you know that real sun spots have damaged skin cells under the melanin caused darker skin. Within the main stream medical world you will be offered chemical peels to remove the outer layer of darker skin. This, and almost all other options given, will never take into consideration that there were damaged skin cells!! Basically, peel it off and hope it doesn’t get more damaged underneath now that it’s exposed! It makes no sense to me! But goes along with a lot of how medicine operates today.

Think healing! If you heal the skin it will help the skin to fade. There will not be any damaged skin to protect any more. Instead of harsh chemical brews, think about nourishing and taking care of your skin instead. Yes, I use essential oils.

I do have a Age Spot Treatment blend in My Shop.

I will give you my whole recipe and explain why I use what I use in my next article.

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