Age spots: where they come from and what skincare can do

SKIN CONDITION

What exactly are age spots?

Age spots are accumulations of pigment in the top layer of the skin, known medically as lentigo solaris or lentigo senilis. They are flat, clearly defined, light to dark brown, and almost always appear where the skin has been exposed to light for decades: the backs of the hands, temples, forehead, décolleté and forearms. The pigment cells in these areas permanently produce more melanin and pass it on to the surrounding skin cells, a process that is also described in our article on niacinamide and how it works in the skin. According to the specialist information from the New Zealand Dermatological Society, the number of pigment cells is normal or only slightly increased; what matters is their increased activity. That is why the surface stays smooth, you cannot feel the spot, and its colour varies over the year: darker in summer, paler in winter. A single spot is usually several millimetres across; over the years more appear and some merge. As a rule, age spots do not go away by themselves.

Why do age spots become more common from 40?

Age spots become visible from around 40 because UV exposure adds up over decades, and at some point the skin can no longer keep its pigment evenly distributed. Every summer, every skiing week, every daily car journey next to the window counts. So the spots do not appear because you are getting older, but because a great deal of sunlight has added up. There is also a second effect: cell renewal slows down, excess pigment is cleared more sluggishly and so stays visible for longer instead of being shed with the stratum corneum. That is exactly why the first spots usually appear on the backs of the hands and on the temples – areas that clothing never protects and that are regularly forgotten when applying cream. How pronounced this is depends on your skin type, your sun habits in childhood and adolescence, and your genetic make-up: fair skin that burns quickly shows spots earlier than skin that tans easily. A more detailed look at which signs of ageing can be influenced can be found in our article on slowing down skin ageing.

How do age spots differ from moles and freckles?

Age spots differ from moles and freckles in when they appear, how they behave over the year and their surface. Freckles usually show up in childhood, are small, often appear in clusters and fade noticeably in winter. Age spots appear later, are larger, stay visible all year round and tend to increase rather than decrease over the years. Moles, on the other hand, are clusters of pigment cells; they can be raised, sometimes feel palpable, and do not change colour with the seasons. There are also dark spots that do not belong to any of these three groups, for example after pregnancy or after an inflammation has healed. This distinction is useful in everyday life, but it does not replace a diagnosis: even experienced eyes need a dermatoscope for some spots. If you are unsure which category a spot falls into, the simple rule further down in this article applies. The overview below summarises the everyday features.

What can skincare do for age spots, and what can it not do?

With age spots, skincare can soften their appearance and make your complexion look more even overall, but it cannot dissolve an existing spot. Cosmetic active ingredients act on how pigment is formed and transported, not on the finished spot. For niacinamide, a study in the British Journal of Dermatology showed that it slows down the transfer of melanosomes to the skin cells without blocking pigment formation itself. Vitamin C is used in cosmetics as a complement, to help the complexion look fresher and more even, and the stable form 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid is well tolerated even by sensitive skin. The Duo contains 5% niacinamide and 2% vitamin C in exactly this form, each relative to the serum and cream together. If you want the details, you will find the full breakdown on our ingredients page. What skincare cannot do is remove an island of pigment that has built up over decades. That requires dermatological procedures.

One customer wrote to tell me that she had two dark spots on the back of one hand and wanted to know whether she could simply dab the serum onto them until they were gone. My answer was honest: dabbing it onto an age spot achieves nothing that applying it all over does not, and the spots will not disappear as a result. What made more sense for her was to protect her hands consistently with sunscreen every morning and to have the two spots looked at during her next skin check. Everything about the right order for serum and cream is on our how to use page.

How can you best prevent new age spots?

The most effective way to prevent new age spots is daily UV protection on your face, neck and the backs of your hands. It is unspectacular, but it is the only lever with a real effect on whether they form. In practice, that means applying sunscreen in the morning after your skincare to every area that is never covered by clothing, in winter as well as in summer, and remembering when driving that glass only filters part of the radiation. In the mountains, reflection from snow adds to this, which increases exposure considerably in winter. Anything that keeps your skin barrier stable also helps, because irritated skin is more likely to darken once the irritation has subsided. Harsh exfoliants, too many active ingredients at once or frequent product changes work against you here. Calm, well-cared-for skin reacts less sensitively to pigment triggers. What a routine for more mature skin looks like, without overloading it, is shown in our article on caring for mature skin without overdoing it.

When should a spot be checked by a professional?

A spot should be checked by a dermatologist as soon as it changes. Specifically: if it grows, its shape or colour becomes uneven, its edges become ragged, it itches, bleeds or weeps, or if it looks clearly different from all the other spots on your skin. This applies however harmless it may seem to you, and it also applies if it has only recently appeared. Cosmetics have a clear limit here: a serum does not assess a spot, and a skincare routine is no substitute for a skin check. People with fair skin, many sunburns in the past or a noticeably large number of dark spots are well advised to have their skin checked regularly. If you want to get rid of a single age spot that bothers you, that is also something to discuss with a dermatologist: according to a systematic review in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, laser treatments or prescription topical therapies may be options depending on the findings, and both belong in professional hands.

Frequently asked questions