You may be interested in finding a good age spot concealer because you want to improve your appearance, perhaps to look more youthful. And maybe you want to do that without undergoing expensive, painful procedures like dermabrasion or laser resurfacing and without waiting months for prescription skin bleaching creams to make your age spots fade.
Age spots, sometimes called liver spots, solar lentigines or lentigos, are most common after the age of 50, although younger people do sometimes get them. They are generally caused by excessive exposure to the sun, which triggers the production of excessive amounts of a pigment called melatonin. Melanin is what gives your skin its color and when exposed to the sun, your body is supposed to produce extra melanin, which causes you to get a suntan, which helps protect the deeper layers of your skin from sun damage. Too much melanin causes age spots, though.
The brown or black spots, which resemble large freckles, are not cancerous and don’t need to be removed for medical reasons. However, people often dislike the way they look and want to get rid of them.
There are treatments that can remove age spots or cause them to fade. You can read more about how to fade age spots. Those treatments can be costly, though, and can take a long time to work. If you are just looking for a way to cover age spots temporarily, or for a way to cover them until you can get treatment, we’ll tell you how to do it.
Tips For Covering Age Spots
Age spots are most common on the face, shoulders, and backs of the hands, although they can appear in other areas of the body (1). People are often most interested in covering age spots on their faces, but the same techniques can be used to cover age spots on any part of the body. Follow these tips for the best results in covering your age spots.
- Choose oil-free makeup or makeup for sensitive skin to cover your age spots so you don’t end up triggering an outbreak of acne or some other skin problem.
- Wash your face or other areas affected by age spots that you want to cover with a mild cleanser before applying concealer or other cosmetics. Wash your face gently but thoroughly, then pat dry.
- Apply a moisturizer containing sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15 before applying any makeup. Moisturizing your skin first will help your makeup go on more smoothly and the sunscreen will prevent further sun damage to your skin. Of course, you should use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 whenever you go out in the sun, even if you aren’t using other makeup or attempting to cover your age spots.
- Use an age spot concealer with a peach tone to help neutralize brown spots. Of course, the exact color of your concealer should be chosen based on your skin tone.
- Apply makeup as lightly as possible, while still covering up your age spots, so the finished look is natural and youthful.
- Lightly brush translucent powder over your entire face (or shoulders or other areas) to create an even tone and set the concealer.
- Talk to a dermatologist, a doctor that specializes in treating the skin, if you have questions about the best makeup for your skin, especially if you have very sensitive skin.
- If you are currently using any type of medicated cream to remove age spots, check with your doctor before applying an age spot concealer or any other type of makeup. It may interfere with the medication.
- If you have recently undergone any procedure to remove age spots, like dermabrasion or laser resurfacing, check with your doctor before applying any makeup to the treated area as it may interfere with the healing process or increase the risk of infection.
- Dispose of concealer and other cosmetics after a year, because they do expire and can become contaminated with bacteria. Using outdated or bacteria-laden cosmetics can cause acne and other skin infections, making matters worse.
Age Spot Concealer Options
There are numerous options for concealers that can cover age spots. You might need to experiment with a few different brands and colors to find the one that works best for you. Remember to look for oil-free options in colors that match your skin tone. Follow this link to see some of the most popular options available.
(1) Mayo Clinic: Age Spot Basics