How to Reduce the Appearance of Age Spots

Age spots are mainly caused by long-term sun exposure. Although sun is the number one reason for developing age spots, smoking, a poor diet, poor liver function, and a diet rich in oxidized oils are also contributing factors.

These age spots are a result of the overproduction of lipofuscin, a dark substance produced by our cells. Age spots usually begin appearing when we are in our 30's and, besides being unsightly, increase our risk of skin cancer. As is the case with most skin conditions, age spots are easier to prevent than to treat. Eating a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, carrots, yams, and other foods that are high in carotene will help reduce your chances of getting age spots in the first place. If you are already are suffering from age spots, don't loose hope. There are options available to you to reduce the appearance of age spots, as well as improve the overall health of your skin.

There are several products on the market today that will help in diminishing the look of age spots. Fade creams are a popular choice among consumers. These over-the-counter creams contain moisturizers with a two percent hydroquinone content which is a bleaching agent that will aid in the fading process. Best results are obtained with the cream is used in conjunction with glycolic acid moisturizer. Prescription creams that contain vitamin A, such as Retin-A or Retinova, work more effectively than the over-the-counter fade creams.

There are more invasive options available to you for those suffering from a more serious case of age spots. Chemical peels are one of these options. Using 30%-70% glycolic acid, the fading factor is much more pronounced than in either of the creams mentioned above. The treatment is simple and can be done in a short session, even on your lunch break if need be. You will need more than one treatment to reach the full effects of the procedure.

Laser resurfacing is another option similar to the chemical peel. In this procedure, the age spots are literally burned off the skin's surface with a laser and can be accomplished in one treatment. It does, however, have a recovery time of about one week and can be quite expensive.

For a more natural and cost-effective way to help prevent age spots simply limit your exposure to the sun and, when you are in the sun, wear sunscreen. Limit your alcohol intake and eat a well balance diet.

Brian Fong
http://www.NaturalVisage.com/

There are options available to you to reduce the appearance of age spots, as well as improve the overall health of your skin.

RELATED ARTICLES Cost of Non Prescription Color Contacts Cost of non prescription color contacts can vary quite a bit depending on where you buy them. If the cost of non prescription color contacts is an issue for you, check around before you buy. Importance of Skin Care: Ever Wondered Just What Exactly Our Skin Does? The following article provides some insight into why good skin care is important and suggests a simple skin care regime anyone can follow to help your skin perform at its best.Our skin's functions are too many to go through here in detail, however it protects our 'insides' from the external environment, acting both as a barrier and a filter between 'outside' and 'inside' our bodies. Short Hair Style? Make It Stylish, Sexy, and Chic In all of its transformations and variations, the short hair style has always been numbered at the top of the list when it comes to versatility, style and manageability. No other style catches the eye quite like the short hair style and no other style makes the wearer look as professional, chic and sexy as the short hair styleShort hair styles worn by women are a fairly new style trend when compared with women's hair styles in general. 5 DIY Anti-aging Tactics Do you want your life story to be a long and joyous one, without having every line written on your face?Yes, we all do! Is there anyone who doesn't want to look as good as they can, for as long as they can?While there are some very quick fixes such as, minor to major cosmetic surgeries, there are some less extreme measures that you can use to look and feel younger on a daily basis.(1) Check your attitude!How do you feel about life?Is your life going the way you want it to?Do you take responsibility for what you have created, good or bad?How about accepting who you are?Be grateful for what you have, family, friends, a job etc. Tired Of Tweezing? A Better Way To A More Beautiful You Any drug store has a section full of products to deal with the problem of unwanted facial hair: tweezers, waxes, bleaches, and even sugaring kits. Some salons have a trained electrolysist on staff to remove hairs by electrolysis (electric charge put through a needle to kill hair follicles at their root). When Clear Skin becomes an Obsession Billions of people around the world experience acne over their lifetimes. In fact, acne is the single most common skin disorder, and more common than all other skin disorders combined. Cosmetics Giant Touts Beauty, Power of Hyaluronic Acid Cosmetics giant Estée Lauder has jumped on the hyaluronic acid bandwagon with the release of its high-end "Perfectionist" skincare products, the CP+ Correcting Serum and the Correcting Concentrate for Lip Lines.In recent months, several beauty products containing hyaluronic acid (also known as HA) have flooded the market, ranging from vitamin supplements to injections. LipoSelection? by Vaser® Vaser® LipoSelection? is a revolutionary advance in ultra-sonic liposuction. People with fatty areas of the body, resistant to diet and exercise, can now enjoy a gentle and quick body contouring solution with results that are far more predictable than those of traditional liposuction. Manicure at Home Required items to perform manicure:Bowl with warm soapy waterscrub lotionpetroleum jelly or any other moisturizing lotioncuticle pusherFavorite nail polish and clear polishNail polish remover (if your nails have color)clean white towelSteps to a manicure:Before starting make sure you remove your nail polish and have all the required items mentioned above. Also remove any jewelry on fingers. Advantages of an Indoor Tanning Bed Think tanning and you will find a tanning salon just a few blocks away. With each passing day, tanning is gaining more and more popularity and is increasingly enmeshed in our society. Theatrical Contact Lenses: An Insight into the World of Cinema & Special Effects Ever wonder how stage actors or movie characters get that eerily captivating look in their eyes? Sure, there is always the CG and special effects route in the movies. Certain lighting schemes can invoke various feelings on the stage. Should I Have A Face Lift? Good question! A face lift is major surgery and surgery means blood, mess, discomfort, stitches and time out to recover. A face lift is expensive too. Create A Home Spa Here are 10 personal little home spa tips that will make you look and feel like a million bucks!Squeeze in a few extra minutes to your every day self care time and you'll see how easily these step by step pampering recommendations will turn even the toughest days around. Or if you can negotiate a few minutes here and there from your day to get even more time?by all means? do it! Your family, friends and co-workers will meet a much happier, more chipper, fantastically refreshed you!In Preparation:First things, first. A Look At Tooth Whiteners All we see on television in the movies is bright white smiles. With the release of several over the counter teeth whitening products over the past few years, it can be hard to know which one is going to give you the Hollywood smile that you dream about. Eyelid Plastic Surgery Blepharoplasty, commonly known as eyelid surgery, is a cosmetic procedure that removes excess fat, skin and muscle from the area around the eyes. As people age, their skin loses elasticity, they accumulate more fat and their muscles lose tone. What are Dental Implants? Dental implants offer many advantages over traditional tooth replacement procedures. Gone are the days when patients were forced to simply wear unsightly or uncomfortable caps, crowns or dentures. The Truth About Beauty Why this fascination with beauty?The demand for beauty services in spite of the economy?Even when there is a recession, beauty parlours still flourish. Beauty products still fly off the shelves. Rhinoplasty Before and After - Surgery and Recovery Now that you have made the decision to undergo rhinoplasty and have prepared for your surgery, the next step is the rhinoplasty surgery itself and the after affects.Rhinoplasty can be performed in the surgeon's office-based facility, an outpatient surgery center, or a hospital. Discover The Make-Up Artist in You As a licensed cosmetologist, I would like to share how to develop the art of truly being a makeup artist on your own face.First, please toss out old ideas you may have had, as well as the "one size fits all" beauty tips you've picked up along the way. Holiday Hair Style: How to Look Perfect in Summer Keeping your holiday hair style under control isn't just about keeping your expensive up-do from falling down while you're dancing. It's about healthy-looking hair during those wet, hot, and sticky months of summer, whether at home or on vacation.