Brown spots on face from age and sun damage

Brown spots on the face are essentially caused by sun damage. You may have had them as freckles when you were younger, but they get larger and often darker as you get older. Changing spots need to be examined
to ensure they are not skin cancers.

The first thing to do about age spots and brown spots on the face or hands is to prevent more of them by applying sunscreen daily. Make sure you use a sunscreen that protects you from UVA radiation by having at least
​5-10% zinc or titanium. And, wear a hat!

"Well, the last time I had a picture taken I could hardly see my eyes because of the weight of heavy eyelid. Then I paid attention to how I was actually using my eyes and I really noticed when I was looking at anything especially the computer I was straining my forehead to see better. Since I have had it done I no longer have to lift the forehead and tilt my head to see. It is amazing! I love..."  D. Rock  63 Yrs Old with Fat Droopy Eyes - Salt Lake City, UT

pigment spots

The first thing to do about age spots and brown spots on the face or hands is to prevent more of them by applying sunscreen daily. Make sure you use a sunscreen that protects you from UVA radiation by having at least 5-10% zinc or titanium. And, wear a hat!
You can also try over-the-counter bleaching creams if your brown spots are recent and not too dark. The bleaching creams are 2% hydroquinone. There have been some questions raised about the safety of hydroquinones in Europe and the European Union has banned them. Drugstore “bleaching” creams will cost under $50 and take effect in about 30 days. Prescription bleaching creams are usually 4% hydroquinone and will cost under $150, with some insurance plans covering them. Hydroquinones should be used for no more than 3 months at a time. Over-use can affect the skin adversely, so we review all our patients who are on hydroquinones to ensure such damage does not occur.

​Bear in mind that continued sun exposure will stimulate the growth of brown spots on the face, so that the bleaching creams will not protect you against the regrowth of brown spots or the development of new ones: proper use of sunscreens is de rigeur.

There are also plant-based bleaching creams for treatment of age spots and brown spots on the face. These ingredients are ones like arbutin, thymol, and kojic acid. You are welcome to try them but they are less effective than prescription products.

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Microdermabrasion and Peels are also options for brown spots. A good aesthetician can perform microdermabrasion or a low-strength peel, and these can often give good results as long as the problem is minimal to moderate. Usually a series is needed.
​
Many of my patients ask me how to get rid of brown spots on the face.  The most effective treatment option for brown spots is a series of laser treatments. We use a combination of lasers, including advanced photofacial lasers, 532 nm lasers, Q-switched YAG lasers, and 570 nm lasers. 

Using a combination of lasers allows us to treat the skin uniformly but also at the different depths to ensure a much nicer outcome than simple IPL treatments. Our album of before-and-after results using this regime bears out the results.

​Fractional lasers are a good option for removing brown spots on the face if your problem is more severe or you have wrinkles or acne scars that would also benefit from a fractional laser. Fractional lasers will vary from erbium to CO2 lasers and, depending upon the power and overlap used, have a varying period of healing. Talk to us about down-time and healing periods to ensure we design a treatment that allows you to get the improvement without interfering with important responsibilities.

The advantage of the advanced photogacial combination of lasers we use is that there will be an improvement in the brown spots, but also a reduction in skin redness, there will be stimulation of some mild collagen growth, and will add to your skin’s glow. You will need maintenance treatments when brown spots reappear, or once or twice a year. ​

"I had a excellent eye lift done by Dr. Patel. He knows what he is doing and is very pleasant. Dr.Patel was easy to get an appointment and he works with you. The office staff was very pleasant and made you feel calm."  D. Gull Highly recommended for eye lift surgery - Salt Lake City, UT

Brown spots or splotches due to melasma

If your brown spots tend to be larger splotches that appear on the cheeks, jaw line, upper lip, or forehead, they may be due to melasma from pregnancy, oral contraceptives or other hormones. If you think you might have melasma, you should see a physician before trying any treatment of melasma. This can be a tough problem to treat and the sooner you start the better. See our discussion and overview on Melasma for more information.

Brown spots vs melasma

You should also see a physician before receiving any laser treatment for melasma.
​Some lasers can make melasma worse.

One promising development in this area is the fractional lasers, which have shown some good results on the treatment of melasma.  These links will give you more information on melasma and its treatment.

Red or broken blood vessels on face

Having redness or broken blood vessels on your face or nose does not necessarily mean that you are an alcoholic, contrary to popular myth! Often people with Celt genes develop redness or even broken blood vessels on the nose and face, but it can happen to anyone. These changes can be caused by rosacea, sun damage, allergies (lots of nose blowing), or even some systemic diseases, like lupus.

You will need a doctor to help you figure out the cause of your redness. If redness is due to rosacea, the first step may be to look at lifestyle changes, like decreasing coffee or red wine consumption.  But there are many effective
​treatments for rosacea.
​
If the redness is due to sun damage, or you have rosacea, you may want to consider laser treatments to reduce the enlarged blood vessels or redness. The results are usually excellent.  A series takes 3-6 months to complete, and you will need maintenance treatments once or twice a year.

Redness

Redness is often due to rosacea. If you think you have rosacea or are looking for treatment for rosacea, see your physician. The culprit can often be sun damage also. If your red and blotchy skin is due to sun damage, your best option is the combination of advanced photofacial lasers and a mixture of different wavelength treatments discussed above. The results are usually excellent. It takes about 6 months for the effects to be noticeable, and you will need maintenance treatments once a year.

Remember also that there are no creams for rosacea at this writing that can take away bad redness for anything longer than a few hours. Some people have tried hydrocortisone, and that may have a very temporary effect. But, you do not want to use hydrocortisone
​for more than a few days.

Lumps, bumps, and moles

Moles, lumps or bumps on the face may be caused by a number of different conditions. They are mostly benign and can be removed safely and with a nice aesthetic result. Some growths are precancerous or cancerous, so make sure that they are examined carefully, especially if there has been any bleeding from the lesions or they have changed. Pigmented lesions that change colour need to be examined carefully.

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Locations: 
​Dr. BCK Patel MD, FRCS
​65 Mario Capecchi Drive
Salt Lake City, Utah, US
(801) 585-6641

Dr. BCK Patel MD, FRCS
1054 E Riverside Dr Suite 201
Saint George, UT 84790
(435) 215-0014

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