Dark Spots On Your Face : Causes and Home treatment

The chemical that gives human skin its color is called melanin, and the production of too much in one area leads to freckles, liver spots, and other patches of darker skin. These dark spots on your face, which are also called hyper-pigmentation. These can be caused by sun exposure, hormonal fluctuations, or as a side effect of certain drugs. It's not a serious medical condition, but if you have dark spots you're probably ready for brighter, clearer skin. Treating the underlying cause, using chemical peels and other treatments, and trying natural skin lightening methods are all ways you can deal with the problem.

Learn about the different types of dark spots. 
Since dark spots can be caused by a number of different factors, learning about the different types will give you a head start when it comes to figuring out how to get rid of them. Here are the three different types of hyper pigmentation.

• Lentigines. These are dark spots caused by exposure to UV rays from the sun. 90 percent of people over the age of 60 have them, but many much younger men and women have sun-related dark spots as well. The spots appear scattered in no particular pattern.
• Melasma. This type of dark spots are caused by hormonal fluctuations. Women might see darker splotches appear on their cheeks during times when their hormones are in flux, like during pregnancy or menopause. It's also a side effect of birth control pills and hormone therapy treatments. Melasma can also occur as a result of thyroid dysfunction .
• Post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation (PIH). These are dark spots that occur as a result of trauma to the skin, which can be caused by psoriasis, burns, acne, and certain skin care treatments that are hard on the skin.

Natural Treatment for Black Spots

1. Lemon Juice

• Put some fresh lemon juice on a cotton ball and rub it directly on the affected skin area.
• Allow it to dry and then wash it off with plain water.
• Continue applying this dark spot removal home remedy for at least two weeks to get the desired result.

If you have delicate or sensitive skin, you can dilute the lemon juice with plain water, rosewater, or honey. You can also use lime juice to get rid of black spots, applying it in the same manner as described above.

2. Butter Milk

• Take four teaspoons of buttermilk.
• Add two teaspoons of fresh tomato juice.
• Mix the two ingredients (both have excellent bleaching properties) and then apply.
• Wash it off after 15 minutes.

The lactic acid in milk too, will gradually reduce skin pigmentation, and brighten and tone your overall skin complexion. So, if you do not have buttermilk, simply apply soak a cotton ball in milk and dab it directly on your spots. Leave it on for about 10 minutes and then wash it off Put milk on a cotton ball and dab it directly on your spots. Repeat this procedure twice daily for four to five weeks.

You can also prepare a solution by mixing milk and honey and apply the solution to your dark spots, leaving it on for 10 minutes.

3. Oats

Oatmeal powder is considered good for skin exfoliation. Hence, you can apply an oatmeal mask on your face and neck to remove dead skin and black spots.

• Grind half a cup of rolled oats.
• Add three to four tablespoons of lemon juice to make a paste.
• Scrub it on your skin and wash it off with warm water when it dries.

If it becomes messy, use a clean cloth soaked in warm water to remove the mask. Follow this treatment once or twice a week.

4. Almonds

• Take 8-10 almonds and soak them in milk overnight.
• Peel off the skin and grind the almonds in the morning.
• Now, add one teaspoon sandalwood powder and half a teaspoon honey in it.
• Mix them to make a fine paste.
• Apply it on your face.
• Leave it on for about 30 minutes and then wash it off.

5. Sandalwood

• Make a thick paste of sandalwood powder, glycerin and rose water. (If you don’t have rose water, you can use milk or honey.)
• Apply the thick paste to the affected skin area, leaving it on for a few minutes. Wash off the paste with lukewarm water.
• Follow this remedy once daily until your black spots vanish completely.

6. Potato

• Slice up a potato and place one slice directly on the black spots; leave on for a few minutes and then wash your face with lukewarm water.
• You can also make a face mask by combining grated potato with honey.

Some people have also had success using tomatoes to get rid of dark black spots within a few weeks.

Topical Treatment for Black Spots

See a Dermatologist/Family Physician  for a diagnosis. 

Your doctor conducting a physical examination, the doctor will also ask you a series of questions about your lifestyle to help figure out what's going on. The dermatologist will advise the best course of action for treating your existing dark spots and preventing more from showing up.

• Since hyperpigmentation is a common condition for which many people seek treatment, there are a lot of products and treatments on the market promising to make the dark spots go away, fast. Seeing a Doctor will help you sort through what ingredients work and which ones don't.
• Some of the best treatments for dark spots are available by prescription only, which is another good reason to see a doctor for further treatment.
• Finally, it's important to rule out melanoma or another type of skin cancer as the potential culprit behind one or more of your dark spots. Getting a regular full-body examination every year is an important way to catch skin cancer before it advances.

Start with manual exfoliation. If you've only had the dark spots for a month or two, they may be contained within the top few layers of your skin. You might be able to get rid of them by simply exfoliating your face. Exfoliation is the process of removing the top layer of skin, bringing new skin to the surface.

• Find an exfoliating cleanser that contains tiny particles that gently scrub the skin to take off the top layer. You can also make your own by mixing ground raw almonds or ground oatmeal into your regular cleanser(See the Above tips). Apply it to the dark spots in a circular motion.
• Electric exfoliators such as the clarisonic dig a little deeper than your standard exfoliating cleanser. They work by gently scraping the dead skin cells from your face. You can find them online or in drugstores.

Try a topical acid treatment. These are available both by prescription and over the counter. They contain alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids or retinoids. The application of these different acids removes the top layer of dead skin cells, allowing fresh cells to grow so that the skin is rejuvenated. These treatments are used to treat hyperpigmentation of all types.

• Alpha-hydroxy acids include glycolic acid, mandelic acid, citric acid, lactic acid and others. These acids are often derived from produce and other food products. They exfoliate the skin effectively, but are gentle enough for people with sensitive skin. Alpha-hydroxy acids can be found in serums, creams, moisturizers and peels.
• Beta-hydroxy acid is also known as salicylic acid. It's a common ingredient in over-the-counter acne medications and skin treatments. Salicylic acid can be applied in a cream, serum, cleanser or peel.
• Retinoic acid is also known as tretinoin, or Retin-A. Retinoic acid is a form of Vitamin A. It's a very effective treatment for acne and dark spots. It is available in creams and gels, only by prescription in the United States.
• If you're looking for an over-the-counter product, try to find one that contains a combination of these ingredients: hydroquinone, cucumber, soy, kojic acid, calcium, azelaic acid, or arbutin.

Consider a chemical peel. If surface treatments don't sufficiently fade your dark spots, you might consider a Chemical peel. Chemical peels literally remove the top layers of your skin. They often contain the acids describe above in high concentrations. They are classified by three levels of strength: light, medium and deep.

• Light chemical peels usually include alpha-hydroxy acids. Glycolic acid and lactic acid are common ingredients. They're considered the most effective peels for dark spots.
• Medium chemical peels include TCA, or trichloroacetic acid. Many recommend this peel for dark spots due to sun damage. For best results, it is usually repeated every two weeks until the spots have sufficiently faded. These peels are generally not recommended for people with darker complexions as they can cause more dark spots to appear after the skin has healed.
• Deep chemical peels contain phenol, or carbolic acid, as their active ingredient. They are often used for deep wrinkles, but also for correcting severe sun damage. Phenol peels are very strong, and are administered under anesthesia. It may take several months for results to show as the skin heals.

Try microdermabrasion. Microdermabrasion is a procedure that uses very fine crystals to "sandblast" the dark spots off your skin. A new, fresh layer of skin grows in place of the skin that was removed. Treatments are usually done once a month over several months.

• Find an experienced practitioner. Abrading the skin can cause irritation, making the discoloration worse. If someone does it wrong, you might end up very disappointed with the results.
• Microdermabrasion should not be done too often, since your skin needs time to heal between treatments.

Look into laser treatment. Laser treatment, also called Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy, uses quick pulses of light to destroy dark-spot causing melanin. The pigmented areas absorb the light and shatter or vaporize. Your body heals the spot by forming a scab and growing new, fresh, unpigmented skin in its place. Laser treatment is highly effective, but expensive, and can be painful.

• Laser treatment is usually the best option when the spots have been there for a long time. Dark spots you've had for a year or longer are deep within the skin, and topical treatments won't be able to reach them.
• If you have very light skin, 4 or 5 laser treatments may be needed before the spots are completely gone.

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