The Causes of Brown Spots on the Face – Are Brown Spots Curable?

Brown spots, also known as age spots and liver spots are curable once you know the root cause for them in the first place. They can be removed, but if precautions aren’t taken to remove the root cause then it’s probable that they will simply reappear. Despite being called “liver spots”, it is generally accepted in the dermatological world that they aren’t necessarily a sign of liver malfunction or poor health.

The cause of Brown Spots

The underlying biological process that causes brown spots is primarily the overproduction of the pigment, melanin. What causes the body to produce excessive amounts of melanin varies somewhat.

In the majority of cases, melanin overproduction is caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight but in rarer instances melanin can be overproduced when women take birth control pills or when menopausal women take Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Are there any health risks attached to Melanin over production?

No, they are not considered indicative of poor internal health although it is an obvious sign that the skin is damaged likely by free radicals. The extent of the damage depends on the darkness of the spots and the frequency of which they appear.

How can Brown Spots Be Removed?

There are creams in the marketplace that can fade the darkness of brown spots although it’s important to apply the solution sparingly as it inhibits melanin and the skin surrounding the problem area has a tendency to sometimes fade as well. As melanin is primarily used to protect the skin from harmful UV rays from the sun, it’s important that you take precaution to ensure that the affected area isn’t directly exposed to the sun for prolonged periods of time.

How can Brown Spots be prevented from Reappearing?

Assuming that your liver spots are caused from free radicals then it is well known that antioxidants can be used to prevent future brown spots from reappearing. Antioxidant creams are available over the counter but will only help the appearance if the cause of brown spots is caused by UV or everyday pollution.

It is well known that antioxidants prevent free radical damage and may prevent liver spots. Using creams containing natural vitamin E, for example, is known to prevent them. But, can antioxidants help remove age spots? Assuming they were caused by UV rays or pollution, the answer is “yes”.

There are a number of highly specific topical home made solutions that can be used to combat liver spots; these aren’t main stream solutions but can be found in a small handful of highly specific books on the subject. Most of these formulas contain Cyperus Rotundus extract which is a natural and safe way of inhibiting melanin production. Creams containing coenzyme Q10 are also effective and finally the protein Keratin which is responsible for stimulating the production of new cells that are regenerated lighter in colour.

The treatments in this article are only the tip of the iceberg and will take you half way to removing your brown spots if run over the course of a few weeks. For more specific and highly effective treatments it’s worth looking for a specialist author on the subject and following the guidelines within. It is important the author has significant credibility in the topic area before you follow their instructions.