Every person would want to keep their skin younger looking and glowing at all times. However, this is not always the case as your skin undergoes a radical amount of change with age. Age spots is a common phenomena experienced by almost everyone after they cross 40 years of age as the skin is not able to regenerate from sun exposure. It is characterized by flat brown or black spots that usually occur in areas of your body that are most exposed to the sun. Therefore, you will find these spots occurring mostly on the back of the hands, face, forearms, forehead and shoulders. These spots are not dangerous but can be unsightly and do not go away by themselves. Aging is the primary factor that leads to age spots but it is the excessive exposure to sun that is the root cause. Too much exposure to sun causes the skin damage due to the ultraviolet rays. With age, the body tends to produce excess melanin and thus if you are out in the sun too often it may lead to age spots. Melanin is the substance that protects your skin from ultraviolet rays and absorbs it in as heat but excess melanin in your skin can cause darkening of skin when exposed to the sun. Symptoms generally include a flat patch or area of skin that has a changed color which is either light brown to black and is painless.

Prevention is the best way to treat age spots. Avoid getting out in the sun as much as possible. If this is inevitable in certain situations, make sure you cover your face and hands well by wearing appropriate clothing, sunglasses or a wide brimmed hat to cover the face. Use sunscreen while going out which contains SPF of minimum 30. Apply aloe vera on the age spots as it is an effective remedy. A juice of fresh lemon works wonders in treating age spots. Lemon juice is acidic and smoothly peels off the upper layer of the skin which will remove or lighten age spots. Apply castor oil on the age spots with a cotton swab as this helps in its treatment. If everything else fails, cover them up with make - up. It is important that you consult a specialist before trying out anything. Also, if you have acne, it is advised that you do not apply any make up as it can worsen the condition.