Truth In Aging Series – Dark Spots

Shining the Light on Dark Spots

One of the most common aesthetics associated with the skin’s aging process include age spots – also known as liver spots, dark spots, or sun spots. You know what we are talking about: those annoying speckles that start appearing on the your face, neck, shoulders, and sometimes arms. Most often, they bear testament to just how much sun exposure you received during your youth, and what kind of damage it imposed on your skin. Dark spots reflect the not so bright side of sun bathing, tanning beds, sun burns, and spending hours at the beach without reapplying your preferred method of sun protection.

One of our earlier blog posts, ‘Age Spots and the Natural Cure,’ discusses the most common and widely discussed reason behind dark spots, and points out a few natural ways to treat them – including some signature, artisan-crafted skincare products from your face naturals family. However, other factors come into play with the development of age spots – some of which you may never have realized. So, we decided to give you insider information about finding brightness in dark places. Discover where the dreaded dark spot can really come from, and master new ways to shine the light on it naturally.

 

Dark Spot Development

Dark spots do not simply come from the sun and the sun alone. Other important factors can cause them to appear on the surface of your face years down the road. The main culprit in a Dalmatian disaster mapping its way across your face? A substance naturally produced by your body called melanin. But try not to get too upset at melanin for causing your spotted woes, as it provides your skin with its natural pigment. Melanin also works as a type of natural skin protectant, which is why it starts becoming concentrated in certain areas after the skin has experienced stress or overexposure to environmental elements.

Enter the dark spot – a concentrated patch of melanin that develops around the age of forty. It works to protect the layers of skin beneath it, to keep unexposed layers healthy and properly functional. This is also why you tend to get tan after spending long periods of time in the sun. Dark spots and tans are your skin’s way of trying to protect itself from too much UV light or radiation. This type of light exposure triggers your body to produce more melanin, thus making the skin appear darker, and uneven in coloration at some specific areas.

But what other factors can speed up the development of dark spots? Quite a few surprising ones contribute to these aesthetics, actually. For instance, while exfoliating is a highly important habit to implement into your skincare regimen, using scrub that works to abrasively can pave the way for more dark spots. It can expose a fresher, newer layer of skin to environmental elements, and cause inflammation that further stresses your epidermis out. This makes ones that already existed beneath the skin more obvious and pronounced, and can cause new spots to arrive as well.

The light that reflects from your computer, television screens, and light bulbs also has a role to play in your collection of dark spots. You heard correctly – even light bulbs can stress your skin out. Spending prolonged amounts of time exposed to these lights with no layer of moisturizing skin protection between your complexion and the lights can create more dramatic dark spots. Any type of visible light increases your skin’s melanin production in the same manner as that of the sun. Imagine how much visible light can contribute to the aging process – and you never even thought twice about it until now.

Your hormones also directly affect your skin’s stress level. Women who are pregnant, taking hormonal birth control, or experience another reason for a higher level of estrogen are more susceptible to developing dark spots – especially if they expose themselves to visible light without any protection. Luckily, these kinds of dark spots are only activated through light exposure, and can be avoided with a moisturizing sun protectant. Avoiding products that contain estrogen-mimicking ingredients, opting for a birth control with a lower dose of estrogen, or eating hormone-regulating foods can also help keep this under control.

One of the main factors behind dark spot development lies within skin stressed by environmental factors. Thus, it comes as no surprise that acneic blemishes can contribute the intensity or quantity of dark spots you develop over time. Acne is another form of skin stress that your body will produce melanin to protect itself from. Sometimes, immediately after a blemish has healed, a dark spot will occur immediately after it heals. Even some wounds or other abrasions can contribute to appearance of dark spots.

 

Dark Spot Demolition Crew

Lucky for you, no matter how many of these elements play a role in the appearance of your skin, nature has ways for you to shine the light on dark spots. Face naturals figured out how to harness natural ingredients to give you a quality skincare experience with safe, effective products. Discover how to make your skincare work for you in deleting the connect-the-dot patterns that speckle your face. Whether you just noticed some spots start to appear, or are anticipating for your anti-aging future, we have some solutions that will demolish your dark spots.

While over-exfoliation with a harsh, grainy substance can intensify the appearance of your dark spots, proper methods of exfoliation can also decrease their appearance. Exfoliation can break up the areas concentrated with melanin, to fade out the spots and make them less noticeable. We recommend our two most brightening facial masks – the Strawberry and Lemon Peel Brightening Mask and the Pomegranate Antioxidant Mask. Both strawberry and lemon are known for their abilities in bringing out the brightest possible complexion, while pomegranate works to allow your skin to recycle skin cells at a quicker rate. This will help you get to the fresher layer of skin that remains untouched beneath. Mix them with some Greek yogurt for a mask base, as the yogurt contains enzymes that eat away microscopic cells of dead skin.

Vitamin C also plays an important in ensuring the body’s ability to renew itself – especially when it comes to the skin cells on the surface of your complexion. Many types of organic berries are rich in vitamin C, making them an excellent option at naturally approaching dark spot treatment. Our Super Fruit line is jam-packed with berry extracts, from blueberry to goji berry. Plus, it contains pomegranate extract, which helps lighten pigmented areas. Plus, the grapefruit essential oil also helps keep the skin even and bright, as citrus fruit extracts are often highly recommended for treating darker patches of skin. Our Super Fruit line consists of a facial cleanser, toner, and moisturizer.

Hibiscus extract is another botanical that can help with reversing the signs of aging and many other skin-related maladies. It works as a gentle exfoliator that removes dead skin cells without causing irritation or sensitization. As the dead cells are removed, the newer, fresher cells will surface to reveal a brighter, younger complexion. Plus, hibiscus is known to reverse a multitude of different types of environmental damage including UV exposure. Our signature Hibiscus Facial Cleanser uses organic hibiscus extract in the formula to help your skin’s regeneration process.

Our Plum Perfect Eye Cream also provides efficient dark spot treatment, with ingredients such as grapefruit essential oil, organic aloe vera, and organic rosehip seed oil. Each of these ingredients works to the means of restoring energy and luminosity to dull, damaged, and tired complexions. And do not let the name fool you – this eye cream can be used as an all-over facial moisturizer for maximum results. The Anti-Aging Eye Serum works to a similar means, using rosehip seed oil and pumpkin seed oil to ensure a healthy keratin mitigation process, optimizing cell renewal.

 

Delete the Signs of Aging with Face Naturals

Your face naturals family wants to help you make the most of your journey in anti-aging, so you can enjoy fresher, more juvenescent skin for longer. Check out our other blog posts in the Anti-Aging series to optimize your skincare, habits, and lifestyle to fit around your anti-aging needs. A timeless complexion starts with timeless remedies from nature, and no matter what your skin’s individual needs, we are pleased to guide you in making the healthiest possible selections in maintaining the largest organ of your body.

Contact us to discover which products will work best for you. Provide us with details about your skin, sensitivities and reactions, and which products interest you the most, and we will direct you to some selections you will find satisfaction in. You can meet your skin’s individual needs with safe, healing botanicals and a little help from your friendly face naturals family. Create an account today to enjoy Reward Points, emailed updates, and more! Plus, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and GooglePlus to stay in the know about your healthy options.

 

References

• Age Spots and the Natural Cure
• 4 Culprits That Cause Dark Spots (Besides the Sun)
• 6 Surprising Things That Are Giving You Dark Spots
• Home Remedies for Age Spots
• Natural Remedies Treat Age Spots
• Hibiscus Skin Benefits – Exfoliation, Anti-Aging, and Hair Growth