If you’ve been a sun worshipper all your life, you may notice some new unwanted spots showing up on your face and neck. It seems unfair that the source of a tan, bronzed complexion, and mood-lifting Vitamin D can also cause damage to your skin. But alas, too much exposure to the sun’s rays can result in sunspots, wrinkles, and other signs of ageing.
Dark spots and skin discoloration can be frustrating to try to cover up. The best options instead are in prevention and naturally treating these darker areas with the right skin care products for sun damage.
What are Sunspots?
Age spots, dark spots, liver spots, or sunspots appear on the skin as a result of prolonged sun exposure. A sunspot is a form of hyperpigmentation caused by a buildup of melanin that your body produces to protect it from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Sunspots can be up to two shades darker than your normal skin tone and may be flat or slightly raised. As your face, ears, neck, arms, and hands tend to get the most direct sunlight, these are the most common places on the body to find them.
While sunspots can give you a more aged appearance and make it harder to achieve an even complexion, they are, in fact, harmless. They do not hurt or indicate any health issues. Many people wish to lighten them for cosmetic reasons, making skincare for dark spots just a normal part of skincare for women over 40.
How Can You Avoid and Diminish Sunspots?
1. Avoid the Sun
Sunspots are caused by spending too much time in direct sunlight. Therefore, the first step is to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Limit your time on the beach, pool, or park during high-sun hours. If you must be outdoors when the sun is high, always bring sunglasses, a hat, a cover-up for your arms and shoulders, and, of course, sunscreen.
2. Use an Effective Sunscreen
Sunscreen is not an only-at-the-beach skincare product; it is for every day. Please do not leave the house without it. Cloudy days are deceptive, as many pale complexion people can tell you.
It is recommended that you should apply 30 SPF on your face and neck for UV protection skin care as part of your daily routine. Look for natural sunscreen products that do not cause harmful chemicals that put your health and the ocean’s marine life at risk.
3. Exfoliate Daily
While daily exfoliation will not erase sunspots and hyperpigmentation, it can reduce the appearance of dark spots and other sun damage. Exfoliation removes the surface layer of your skin, where the dead cells sit. This practice can soften the colour of any darker areas and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Daily exfoliation can be done with a gentle skin scrub or oil.
4. Snow Algae Powder
Snow algae powder is extracted from a unique type of seaweed. This seaweed has been found to survive in harsh environmental conditions. Swiss Toniq uses the cellular defence power of snow algae powder in products like Performance Bio Body Oil to help slow down the skin cell ageing process and increase collagen production. This oil can be used as a dark spot correcting serum on different areas of the body.
5. Aloe Vera
Not just for soothing sunburns, aloe vera has historically been a powerhouse ingredient in skincare. Aloe vera has healing properties, makes a great moisturiser, can reduce redness and inflammation, softens scarring, and can fade dark spots with the natural compounds aloesin and aloin. Aloe vera has also been found to stimulate collagen.
6. Argan Oil
Argan oil is a natural wonder for acne-prone skin, scarring, and blemishes, but it is also beneficial in combating sun damage. Rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E, argan oil hydrates and heals. Great for use on all skin types, argan oil can help you restore your skin’s youthful glow.
7. Neem Oil
Not as well known as argan oil, neem oil is traditionally used to treat acne and skin infections. Neem oil is also effective at fading hyperpigmentation and sunspots. Skincare products that combine neem oil with other natural ingredients can be powerful anti-ageing tools. Look for products that include uncooked plant-derived ingredients that allow for deeper absorption and more effective rejuvenation treatment.
When combating sunspots and other hyperpigmentation areas on your skin, you can’t expect to get results instantaneously. Sunspots are the result of a gradual buildup of melanin, and natural treatments will work to soften darker areas gradually.
Sunspots won’t affect your health, and avoiding or lightening them shouldn’t create significant changes in your lifestyle. By covering up when outdoors in high sun, always remembering to wear SPF, and making natural skincare for dark spots a part of your daily routine, you’ll rediscover a more even complexion.