Home remedies are, by far, the smartest and cheapest way to fight skin problems like sunspots. Remember those face packs and concoctions carefully selected by your mother? They really do work! Following are the ways in which you can get rid of sunspots with home remedies.
Home Remedies For Sunspots
1. Aloe Vera
You Will Need Fresh aloe vera gel or aloe juice What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Do this every day. Why This Works Aloe vera contains natural healing agents that lighten dark spots and sun-damaged areas. It aids skin regeneration and improves skin quality (2). Aloe vera also exhibits antityrosinase activity that helps remove sunspots (3). Moreover, it contains two active compounds – aloesin and aloin – that help in removing sunspots and lightening hyperpigmentation (4), (5), (6).
2. Lemon
You Will Need
A lemon 1/4 cup of water Cotton ball
What You Have To Do Caution: Undiluted lemon juice is highly acidic and may cause damage to the skin, especially if it is prone to be sensitive. Alternate Method
Mix a tablespoon of sugar with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Use this mixture as a scrub on the sunspots. After scrubbing for a minute or two, leave the mixture on for about 10 minutes. Rinse it off with water.
How Often You Should Do This Use the simple lemon juice remedy every day. The lemon-sugar scrub can be used 2-3 times a week. Why This Works Lemon has bleaching properties that may help reduce the appearance of sunspots (7). It also helps you attain a flawless and radiant look.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
You Will Need
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 4 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon honey
What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Do this once a day to maximize results. Why This Works Apple cider vinegar is beneficial for different skin problems, including sunspots. The acetic acid in ACV can decrease melanin deposition (2). Thus, it may help reduce sunspots.
4. Green Tea
You Will Need
A green tea bag A cup of hot water
What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Do this once or twice daily. Why This Works Green tea is known as a powerhouse of antioxidants that fight skin conditions like tanning and spots (8). It also has a depigmenting effect that may help treat sunspots (9).
5. Castor Oil
You Will Need A few drops of castor oil What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Repeat this once or twice daily. Why This Works Castor oil deeply nourishes your skin as it contains essential fatty acids. It also helps lighten hyperpigmented skin (10).
6. Besan (Gram Flour)
You Will Need
2 tablespoons besan A pinch of turmeric powder 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon milk
What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Repeat this 2-3 times a week. Why This Works Besan (gram flour) lightens the skin tone, reduces tan, and exfoliates the skin (11). Milk contains lactic acid that acts as an exfoliator, while lemon brightens your skin (7).
7. Buttermilk
You Will Need
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk Cotton ball
What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Do this twice a day to reap the benefits. Why This Works Buttermilk has a soothing effect on the skin. It is also claimed to have a bleaching effect which may help lighten sunspots. However, there is no scientific evidence to prove the same.
8. Papaya Pulp
You Will Need 2-3 cubes of ripe papaya What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Apply papaya pulp twice a week. Why This Works Papaya can exfoliate the skin and make it lighter (12). It may help reduce pigmentation, sunspots, and scars.
9. Fuller’s Earth
You Will Need
2 tablespoons Fuller’s earth 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel Rosewater
What You Have To Do How Often You Should Do This Apply this pack 2-3 times a week. Why This Works Fuller’s earth is also known as Multani mitti. It is commonly used for brightening your skin. It also improves blood circulation to the skin’s surface, unclogs pores, and removes the dull layer of skin cells (13). Rose water helps reduce skin redness (14). Also, it may help hydrate your skin.
10. Sandalwood
You Will Need
2 tablespoons sandalwood powder 1 tablespoon lemon juice Rosewater
What You Have To Do Another way to use sandalwood for sunspots is to blend sandalwood oil and olive oil in a 1:2 proportion and apply it every night on the sunspots. How Often You Should Do This Use this pack twice a week. Why This Works Sandalwood may help reduce skin dullness and eliminate hyperpigmentation (15). Listed below are some more home remedies and medications you can use to treat sunspots.
Other Home Remedies For Sunspots
Fluocinolone acetonide is a corticosteroid that is used to treat severe inflammatory skin disorders (22). These are some of the at-home remedies to get rid of sunspots. There are a few sunspot removal treatments available, but these should be performed by a trained skin care professional. Let’s learn more about those professional treatments in the following section.
What Are The Best Sunspot Removal Treatments?
1. Laser Skin Resurfacing
Laser skin resurfacing is a skin care procedure that helps improve skin texture and reduces blemishes, acne scars, and skin irregularities. This procedure involves a wand-like device that is used to deliver laser beams to the skin. This device removes sun-damaged skin layer by layer. This process can take a minimum of 30 minutes to 2 hours for sunspot removal. Healing of the skin can take anywhere from 10 to 21 days.
2. Intense Pulse Light (IPL)
Intense pulse light uses pulses of light energy to target dark spots on the skin. Lasers of different wavelengths are used to heat the pigmented cells, thereby removing the sunspots by destroying the melanin. It is also known as a photo facial, and it takes less than 30 minutes. It can treat several skin conditions, and the number of sessions required varies from person to person. Also, it causes little to no pain.
3. Chemical Peels
Chemical peel is another cosmetic procedure that involves the application of an acid solution to your skin. It causes your skin to exfoliate the damaged skin cells and make way for new skin. The main idea behind this procedure is to encourage your skin to shed off its damaged outer layer and reveal newer skin underneath. It helps reduce sunspots, wrinkles, and fine lines. It can make your skin firmer, brighter, and healthier. Chemical peel treatment also encourages collagen production. This process reduces uneven skin tone and acne scars. The recovery time for a chemical peel is 1-4 weeks depending on the depth of the peel. Light/superficial peels penetrate and act on the epidermis, the outermost layers of the skin. Whereas medium/deep grade peels go much deeper by penetrating the dermis at various levels depending on the concentration and application time. This treatment may be more painful than the others, but it has decades of data that shows the best results for an even skin tone. Besides some pain, it can cause a burning sensation that lasts a few minutes. You can treat these side effects by using over-the-counter creams.
4. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is also known as cold therapy. In this treatment, skin lesions are exposed to extremely cold temperatures. This process helps reduce sunspots. Using nitrous oxide is the best option for the treatment of dark spots (23). This process only takes a few minutes.
5. Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic procedure that involves the exfoliation of the top layer of the skin. This process uses a small hand-held device with an abrasive surface. The special applicator with an abrasive tip removes the outermost layer of the skin, followed by suction to remove the dead skin. It can reduce age spots, wrinkles, fine lines, melasma, and acne scars. This is a very effective, painless procedure for many skin aging concerns and takes about one hour. You may experience some temporary redness and tightness after the procedure.
6. Microneedling
Microneedling is a minimally invasive derma roller procedure that uses hundreds of small needles to create ‘micro-injuries’ in the skin. This signals your body to produce more collagen and elastin to repair the affected area. It is mostly used on the face, but can be used on the body to reduce stretch marks or scars. It also helps in the absorption of topical serums that contain skin lightening ingredients. This makes derma rolling a great option for treating sunspots, wrinkles, pigmentation marks and acne scars. A topical anesthetic may be applied prior to the process to help reduce discomfort. These are the different professional treatments for sunspots. Here are some more tips to keep in mind to avoid sunspots.
Tips For Sunspots
1. Try Anti-Tan Facials
A good anti-tan facial can help you fight sun spots and pigmentation. You can use an at-home anti-tan facial kit or get it done by a professional at a spa, salon, or skin clinic.
2. Stay Away From The Sun
Try not to step out in the sun too much if you are already tanned. Even if you are, it is best to carry an umbrella. Also, remember to wear loose-fitting clothes. Don’t go for dark or bright colors. The simpler your clothing, the better it is for your skin. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. If you are at the beach, don’t forget your hat.
3. Use Sunscreen
Sunscreen is a must all through the year and not just the summer months. If you don’t have one already, it’s high time you purchased one. Sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun and prevents the signs of aging. Choose a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or above. Sunspots are not harmful or cancerogenic. But, if you notice any abnormality in their number and growth, you should consult your doctor. Scroll down to know more.
When To See A Dermatologist?
Sunspots are not harmful. They are caused by prolonged sun exposure. You can improve this condition by taking some protective measures. However, sometimes cancerous lesions on your skin can look like sunspots. If you observe rapid growth in dark spots or a lot of sunspots, you should get them checked by a dermatologist. Can sunspots be removed permanently? Check out the infographic for detailed steps to give yourself a facial in a few quick and easy steps with all-natural ingredients. Yes, sunspots can be removed with the help of procedures like laser therapy or chemical peels. Whether this is permanent is dependent on how you look after your skin after using these procedures, especially chemical peel. How long does it take for sunspots to fade? Sunspots may take 6 to 12 months to fade away. However, it may take years if they are severe. Also, home remedies can help you speed up the fading process. How much does sunspot removal cost? The cost depends on the procedure you choose, the number of sessions you need, and the place you prefer. However, the normal rates may fall between $200 and $400.
