How to get rid of age spots on the face: effective removal of pigmentation, what can be removed [Vichy experts’ opinion]

• Birthmarks (nevi): darker areas of the skin, having an arbitrary shape and location. They can appear at any age, including infancy, and tend to increase in adulthood. Removal of these age spots on the face is possible only with the help of a beautician.
• Freckles (ephelids): small rounded spots with a diameter of 2-2 mm, which appear under the active influence of the sun and may disappear on their own in the winter season. The most common places of manifestation: nose and cheeks, neck, shoulders, décolleté.
• Sun spots (lentigo): larger than freckles, more persistent and do not disappear even in winter oval areas of pigmentation with a diameter of up to 20 mm. They are usually associated with age-related pigmentation, as they often appear on mature skin and intensify with age. The removal of such age spots on the face, as a rule, requires the use of professional products.
• Melasma (chloasma): large age spots, the appearance of which is usually associated with hormonal changes in the body (pregnancy, lactation, certain diseases and medication). If the changes are temporary, then the decrease in pigmentation, as a rule, occurs on its own, as the hormonal background stabilizes.

Let’s look at the principle of action of products with glycolic acid using the example of one of the most effective methods for correcting age spots – LiftActiv Specialist GLYCO-C night peeling serum.

It contains a specially developed complex of effective ingredients:

• 10% acid complex: glycolic acid (4%), HEPES complex (5%) and citric acid (1%) – instantly penetrates into the upper layers of the skin, provokes exfoliation of dead skin particles, intensive skin renewal and getting rid of age spots.
• Vitamin C – a powerful antioxidant that not only protects skin cells, but also evens out complexion, giving a brightening effect;
• hyaluronic acid – Responsible for intense hydration and skin regeneration;
• volcanic thermal water VICHY – strengthens the protective barrier of the skin.

Ultraviolet is certainly one of the main “culprits” of the appearance of age spots. It not only aggressively affects the skin in itself, but can also become a trigger for the manifestation of genetically or hormonally inherent problems.

Getting on the skin (especially unprotected), ultraviolet rays provoke a powerful protective reaction of the skin. It manifests itself in the form of sunburn and increased activity of melanocytes, the cells responsible for the production of melatonin. Actively produced melatonin begins to be unevenly deposited in different areas of the skin, forming those same dark spots and areas of hyperpigmentation.

1. herbs and plants: parsley, chamomile, celandine, licorice and others;
2. Products: sour cream, cottage cheese, lemon and lemon juice, honey, raw eggs;
3. pharmaceutical preparations: hydrogen peroxide, acetylsalicylic acid, boric alcohol and more.

If the first two groups of ingredients do not have proven effectiveness (especially with pigmentation a little more serious than light freckles), then the third group may simply be dangerous to health. Careless use, illiterate proportions or the wrong combination of such ingredients can cause large-scale chemical burns, serious skin damage and visually noticeable marks and inflammation.

We strongly urge you not to use these methods of dealing with pigmentation on the face. In order to clean your face from age spots, choose ready-made cosmetics created and tested by professionals and taking into account various compatibility and safety factors.

After we talked about what helps with age spots, let’s look at what to do with their prevention? Is it possible to somehow protect the skin (especially predisposed) from hyperpigmentation?

Yes, but for this you need to follow a few basic rules:

1. Always protect your skin from the sun. Remember that aggressive UV rays can even penetrate through clouds or window panes. Using daily care products with SPF, even at home, in the car or on cloudy days, should become your good and healthy habit for the skin.
2. Don’t forget extra hydration and SPF protection skin after using professional anti-pigmentation products – especially if they contain acids.
3. Do not get carried away with the so-called “whitening” means based on aggressive components – they can break the protective barrier of the skin and only increase its vulnerability to UV rays and other environmental factors.