Well, my first recommendation is to stay out of the sun. Sun is the culprit here so make sure you wear a hat when possible, use sunscreen and/or use make-up with sun screen in it. This is your best defense against getting more of them.

To get rid of them you have a few options. First, and the easiest, is to try hydroquinone. This is a prescription strength skin care product that is commonly used to fade dark spots. It doesn’t work for everyone or for every dark spot, but it helps and can help quite a bit.

Next, there are masks, namely a product called Cosmelan. This is a mud mask that you wear for several hours one time only. In the next 4 or 5 days you will peel and your skin should be much  more uniform and even. It is very effective for those who battle melasma, which is a skin condition that causes brown patches over the cheeks and nose.

Lasers are also a good option. Fraxel and Pearl lasers are non-ablative resurfacing techniques that are done  outpatient with only topical anesthesia. These too result in some redness and swelling for a couple of days followed by an exfoliation. After the peel, your skin should be more uniform in color and most if not all of the brown gone.

Remember though, that sun is the culprit so you must protect your skin. Also, to get the most out of your treatments, it’s probably best to do the Cosmelan or Lasers in the Fall or Winter months when the sun isn’t quite so strong.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including  Botox, Juvederm, Restylane.