Age Spot Getting Rapidly Bigger and Darker...
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Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:52 pm

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I would like to say thank you to everyone here as I have been a regular browser and I have learnt a lot about the different options for caring for my skin. I think it looks a little better as a result..I hope.

As background information, I am soon-to-be 27 with olive skin. I am half asian/half caucasian; my mother has very dark skin prone to those dark post inflammatory hyperpigmentation spots (she had an outbreak of adult acne) but no freckling and no moles. My father is very fair and has a lot of moles but as someone who is into his 60s, looks very good (and still has his hair and hair colour!)

I spent my childhood being raised in Hong Kong and spent everyday in summer at the swimming pool. This includes term time, as we only had half days of school back then. I also spent everyday playing outside- often on a rooftop playground (yeah, we have these in HK).

I have had a lot of sun exposure. I tan very easily so my mother was not so great at applying the sunblock on me. Additionally, I have some freckling (the big unsightly ones although people say they are 'cute') across my cheeks. I have about an average number of moles. I also have dark circles under my eyes (my dermatologist says so bluntly it is a severe case and looks as though I've been punched but there is nothing he can do as I've got thin skin under the eyes and the blood clotting etc problems)...and a yellowish cast to my face at all times Sad

. Acne prone at times and also constantly battling blackheads on my nose.

I also (sadly, and I'm ashamed of this) had a period where I did use sunbeds in my late teens as I was in a sun starved country. Every summer to date I have had a tan- although I do tan, as I mentioned, at the drop of a hat. This could be because I've so much sun exposure; I noticed in recent years I tan quicker (I only need 2-3 hours and I'm a very brown colour) and the tan never really goes away (i.e. sun damage).

Anyway, my question....I noticed towards the end of last year the faint beginnings of a sun spot...since January I have slowly begun using retin A (I also still get the odd break out and have some mild pitted acne scarring on my right cheek- nothing really obvious). I also started using vitamin C in April as well as Nia 24 (from all the recommendations on here).

I have noticed my freckles have faded slightly- but this could also be due to diligent sunblock use- but my age spot on my cheek has recently gotten bigger and darker.

I am trying to stop this from getting worse...and considering 'spot treating' this with hydroquinone.

About 3-4 months ago I went to the dermatologist for a mole check, and he advised that my skin should be OK on hydroquinone and prescribed me some. However, I have not yet used it and would not use it on my freckles; instead I will use it on the age spot itself using a cotton bud.

I'm still a bit scared of doing this- has anyone tried this???

The age/sun spot is really unsightly on someone who looks really young (in all other senses, I have a baby face although the beginnings of nasolabial fold creases; Twice I got asked if I was even 16) and I know I probably will have many more of these to come in the future.

Note- I currently use cosmedix SPF28 on my face daily, or Nia24 SPF 30 physical sunscreen and usually wear MMU and blush after this (my skin looks a tad yellowish, I have terrible skin in general).

Thank you for reading and sorry for the essay ladies. Shock

I was trying to explain the type of skin I have/why I already have a giant sun spot!!!

free skin care · Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:35 pm

Why so scared of the hydroquinone? I think your idea of spot treatment is great. What concentration are you using? 4% is ok for what you are about to do. And yes, sunscreen all the time, or else it will get darker.

Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:11 am

Cheers. I've read it's not very good for your skin...can cause skin darkening and the black pigmentation in some types of skin (and I have seen people of asian descent with this, not just African Americans) as well as really damage it. Plus cancer risks etc which is why it is banned in the UK for OTC sale at even 2%.

I'm not sure if this is just from concentrations higher than 4% (I was given 4% to use)...I'll give it a try and see how it works out as it is becoming more noticeable on my face as my freckles fade.

free skin care · Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:53 am

I have used 2% hydroquinone successfully as a spot treatment on a couple of big freckles (best used for a couple months, then take a month-long break, and so on), but they do come back if you get too much sun.

You mention using SPF ~30 sunscreens, and that's great, but how much direct sun do you get? Because IMO there's just nothing like keeping the sun off your skin. For this, I swear by wide-brimmed hats in cool weather and parasols in hot weather. And of course staying indoors when possible at midday, or at least seeking deep shade.

You might also want to check out the sun-blocking pills thread: http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=38354

free skin care · Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:52 am

Is it summer where you are? If so, have you considered the fact that exposure to the sun can deepen/worsen them temporarily? My freckles and burgeoning age spots always seem to get worse and darker in the summertime despite my diligent use of sunscreen, but then they fade in the Autumn...
Of course you should always get changes on your skin and face checked out by the dermatologist, but I'm just offering an explanation that may allow you to not use the HQ for now...

I have the exact same skin tone as you, I think. Olive, tans very easily. I just spent a couple hours for two days sunning myself in Italy and my stomach is nearing a charcoal color. I'm certain that everyone thinks I'm a sun worshipper, but I'm not!!! I just tan easily, like you.

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:28 pm

Just curiously asking as to when do you apply the Hydroquinone? Also when using this product, you must use a higher SPF to protect the skin. SPF30 is not enough. I know you like the sun, but limit your sun exposure.
Your skin will thank you for it.

beautifulwonder wrote:

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I would like to say thank you to everyone here as I have been a regular browser and I have learnt a lot about the different options for caring for my skin. I think it looks a little better as a result..I hope.

As background information, I am soon-to-be 27 with olive skin. I am half asian/half caucasian; my mother has very dark skin prone to those dark post inflammatory hyperpigmentation spots (she had an outbreak of adult acne) but no freckling and no moles. My father is very fair and has a lot of moles but as someone who is into his 60s, looks very good (and still has his hair and hair colour!)

I spent my childhood being raised in Hong Kong and spent everyday in summer at the swimming pool. This includes term time, as we only had half days of school back then. I also spent everyday playing outside- often on a rooftop playground (yeah, we have these in HK).

I have had a lot of sun exposure. I tan very easily so my mother was not so great at applying the sunblock on me. Additionally, I have some freckling (the big unsightly ones although people say they are 'cute') across my cheeks. I have about an average number of moles. I also have dark circles under my eyes (my dermatologist says so bluntly it is a severe case and looks as though I've been punched but there is nothing he can do as I've got thin skin under the eyes and the blood clotting etc problems)...and a yellowish cast to my face at all times Sad

. Acne prone at times and also constantly battling blackheads on my nose.

I also (sadly, and I'm ashamed of this) had a period where I did use sunbeds in my late teens as I was in a sun starved country. Every summer to date I have had a tan- although I do tan, as I mentioned, at the drop of a hat. This could be because I've so much sun exposure; I noticed in recent years I tan quicker (I only need 2-3 hours and I'm a very brown colour) and the tan never really goes away (i.e. sun damage).

Anyway, my question....I noticed towards the end of last year the faint beginnings of a sun spot...since January I have slowly begun using retin A (I also still get the odd break out and have some mild pitted acne scarring on my right cheek- nothing really obvious). I also started using vitamin C in April as well as Nia 24 (from all the recommendations on here).

I have noticed my freckles have faded slightly- but this could also be due to diligent sunblock use- but my age spot on my cheek has recently gotten bigger and darker.

I am trying to stop this from getting worse...and considering 'spot treating' this with hydroquinone.

About 3-4 months ago I went to the dermatologist for a mole check, and he advised that my skin should be OK on hydroquinone and prescribed me some. However, I have not yet used it and would not use it on my freckles; instead I will use it on the age spot itself using a cotton bud.

I'm still a bit scared of doing this- has anyone tried this???

The age/sun spot is really unsightly on someone who looks really young (in all other senses, I have a baby face although the beginnings of nasolabial fold creases; Twice I got asked if I was even 16) and I know I probably will have many more of these to come in the future.

Note- I currently use cosmedix SPF28 on my face daily, or Nia24 SPF 30 physical sunscreen and usually wear MMU and blush after this (my skin looks a tad yellowish, I have terrible skin in general).

Thank you for reading and sorry for the essay ladies. Shock

I was trying to explain the type of skin I have/why I already have a giant sun spot!!!

free skin care · Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:29 pm

Just curiously asking as to when do you apply the Hydroquinone? Also when using this product, you must use a higher SPF to protect the skin. SPF30 is not enough. I know you like the sun, but limit your sun exposure.
Your skin will thank you for it.

beautifulwonder wrote:

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I would like to say thank you to everyone here as I have been a regular browser and I have learnt a lot about the different options for caring for my skin. I think it looks a little better as a result..I hope.

As background information, I am soon-to-be 27 with olive skin. I am half asian/half caucasian; my mother has very dark skin prone to those dark post inflammatory hyperpigmentation spots (she had an outbreak of adult acne) but no freckling and no moles. My father is very fair and has a lot of moles but as someone who is into his 60s, looks very good (and still has his hair and hair colour!)

I spent my childhood being raised in Hong Kong and spent everyday in summer at the swimming pool. This includes term time, as we only had half days of school back then. I also spent everyday playing outside- often on a rooftop playground (yeah, we have these in HK).

I have had a lot of sun exposure. I tan very easily so my mother was not so great at applying the sunblock on me. Additionally, I have some freckling (the big unsightly ones although people say they are 'cute') across my cheeks. I have about an average number of moles. I also have dark circles under my eyes (my dermatologist says so bluntly it is a severe case and looks as though I've been punched but there is nothing he can do as I've got thin skin under the eyes and the blood clotting etc problems)...and a yellowish cast to my face at all times Sad

. Acne prone at times and also constantly battling blackheads on my nose.

I also (sadly, and I'm ashamed of this) had a period where I did use sunbeds in my late teens as I was in a sun starved country. Every summer to date I have had a tan- although I do tan, as I mentioned, at the drop of a hat. This could be because I've so much sun exposure; I noticed in recent years I tan quicker (I only need 2-3 hours and I'm a very brown colour) and the tan never really goes away (i.e. sun damage).

Anyway, my question....I noticed towards the end of last year the faint beginnings of a sun spot...since January I have slowly begun using retin A (I also still get the odd break out and have some mild pitted acne scarring on my right cheek- nothing really obvious). I also started using vitamin C in April as well as Nia 24 (from all the recommendations on here).

I have noticed my freckles have faded slightly- but this could also be due to diligent sunblock use- but my age spot on my cheek has recently gotten bigger and darker.

I am trying to stop this from getting worse...and considering 'spot treating' this with hydroquinone.

About 3-4 months ago I went to the dermatologist for a mole check, and he advised that my skin should be OK on hydroquinone and prescribed me some. However, I have not yet used it and would not use it on my freckles; instead I will use it on the age spot itself using a cotton bud.

I'm still a bit scared of doing this- has anyone tried this???

The age/sun spot is really unsightly on someone who looks really young (in all other senses, I have a baby face although the beginnings of nasolabial fold creases; Twice I got asked if I was even 16) and I know I probably will have many more of these to come in the future.

Note- I currently use cosmedix SPF28 on my face daily, or Nia24 SPF 30 physical sunscreen and usually wear MMU and blush after this (my skin looks a tad yellowish, I have terrible skin in general).

Thank you for reading and sorry for the essay ladies. Shock

I was trying to explain the type of skin I have/why I already have a giant sun spot!!!

free skin care · Mon Jul 11, 2011 4:34 am

Used the 4% hydroquinone!! twice a day. It will greatly improve the pigmentation that concerns you. It works! You will see an improvement within 4 weeks, even earlier. It will inhibit the production of the pigmentation.

Unfortunately, it's only effective if you use a good sunscreen religiously. All you good results from both retin A and hydroquinone will be wasted if you don't use sunscreen. Retin A and hydroquinone is the Gold Standard for treating sunspots, pigmentation issues. I can't stress the importance of sunscreen.

I so confident it will help you, I use obagi which uses the same products and I achieve great results!

free skin care · Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:29 pm

Perhaps you could try tranexamic acid? Naruko has a line of products, the Apple Seed and Tranexamic Acid range, and the products contain the highest percentage of tranexamic acid (3%) available without prescription.

free skin care · Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:46 pm

fongflyer5 wrote:

Used the 4% hydroquinone!! twice a day. It will greatly improve the pigmentation that concerns you. It works! You will see an improvement within 4 weeks, even earlier. It will inhibit the production of the pigmentation.

Unfortunately, it's only effective if you use a good sunscreen religiously. All you good results from both retin A and hydroquinone will be wasted if you don't use sunscreen. Retin A and hydroquinone is the Gold Standard for treating sunspots, pigmentation issues. I can't stress the importance of sunscreen.

I so confident it will help you, I use obagi which uses the same products and I achieve great results!

I completely agree with Fongflyer on this one! It may take several weeks of treatment before you see an improvement so have a bit of patience as well.

Tue Jul 12, 2011 9:11 pm

i don't think hydroquinone is good for the skin--especially on the face! i' not really sure but i also m scared for you.haha. anyway, hq is a quite harsh chemical. maybe you should try using lightening creams that don't have hq in it like metaderm. try and see what would happen. i'm just afraid your skin might get damaged with hq.

Wed Jul 13, 2011 10:04 am

jade-1234 wrote:

Just curiously asking as to when do you apply the Hydroquinone? Also when using this product, you must use a higher SPF to protect the skin. SPF30 is not enough. I know you like the sun, but limit your sun exposure.
Your skin will thank you for it.

beautifulwonder wrote:

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I would like to say thank you to everyone here as I have been a regular browser and I have learnt a lot about the different options for caring for my skin. I think it looks a little better as a result..I hope.

As background information, I am soon-to-be 27 with olive skin. I am half asian/half caucasian; my mother has very dark skin prone to those dark post inflammatory hyperpigmentation spots (she had an outbreak of adult acne) but no freckling and no moles. My father is very fair and has a lot of moles but as someone who is into his 60s, looks very good (and still has his hair and hair colour!)

I spent my childhood being raised in Hong Kong and spent everyday in summer at the swimming pool. This includes term time, as we only had half days of school back then. I also spent everyday playing outside- often on a rooftop playground (yeah, we have these in HK).

I have had a lot of sun exposure. I tan very easily so my mother was not so great at applying the sunblock on me. Additionally, I have some freckling (the big unsightly ones although people say they are 'cute') across my cheeks. I have about an average number of moles. I also have dark circles under my eyes (my dermatologist says so bluntly it is a severe case and looks as though I've been punched but there is nothing he can do as I've got thin skin under the eyes and the blood clotting etc problems)...and a yellowish cast to my face at all times Sad

. Acne prone at times and also constantly battling blackheads on my nose.

I also (sadly, and I'm ashamed of this) had a period where I did use sunbeds in my late teens as I was in a sun starved country. Every summer to date I have had a tan- although I do tan, as I mentioned, at the drop of a hat. This could be because I've so much sun exposure; I noticed in recent years I tan quicker (I only need 2-3 hours and I'm a very brown colour) and the tan never really goes away (i.e. sun damage).

Anyway, my question....I noticed towards the end of last year the faint beginnings of a sun spot...since January I have slowly begun using retin A (I also still get the odd break out and have some mild pitted acne scarring on my right cheek- nothing really obvious). I also started using vitamin C in April as well as Nia 24 (from all the recommendations on here).

I have noticed my freckles have faded slightly- but this could also be due to diligent sunblock use- but my age spot on my cheek has recently gotten bigger and darker.

I am trying to stop this from getting worse...and considering 'spot treating' this with hydroquinone.

About 3-4 months ago I went to the dermatologist for a mole check, and he advised that my skin should be OK on hydroquinone and prescribed me some. However, I have not yet used it and would not use it on my freckles; instead I will use it on the age spot itself using a cotton bud.

I'm still a bit scared of doing this- has anyone tried this???

The age/sun spot is really unsightly on someone who looks really young (in all other senses, I have a baby face although the beginnings of nasolabial fold creases; Twice I got asked if I was even 16) and I know I probably will have many more of these to come in the future.

Note- I currently use cosmedix SPF28 on my face daily, or Nia24 SPF 30 physical sunscreen and usually wear MMU and blush after this (my skin looks a tad yellowish, I have terrible skin in general).

Thank you for reading and sorry for the essay ladies. Shock

I was trying to explain the type of skin I have/why I already have a giant sun spot!!!

Thank you for your reply! Smile

I like being outdoors (I love to run outdoors, I like beaches, the countryside, hiking etc) and I do look better with a tan (bottle or real, and with real I barely need any sun to turn brown) and when I lived in a country with no sun (coming from a warm country) I struggled a bit. It's a bit of a shock going from warm weather to hibernating indoors all the time. I'm now back in Hong Kong and there is so much sun that I scurry into the shade all the time. I don't really sun bathe very much (apart from the really terrible decision I made in my late teens to use a sun bed and any holidays during that period) or for very long if I have done.

I've not intentionally been in the sun at all since I noticed the faint outlines of an age spot...and been wearing sunscreen daily plus vitamin C serum to help with all the pollution/UV light. I'm not yet fully on retin A, as I'm still young, but I'm currently trying out PSF's skin brightener instead of using HQ.

I was given 4% HQ by my dermatologist, who, was trying to initally sell me laser (for someone with the remnants of a tan/olive skinned) and then said there were no risks with HQ....errmmm..OK. I'm now really worried he didn't do a very good job checking my moles as he didn't seem to take me seriously. I think I'm going elsewhere for my next mole check.

I don't use higher than SPF30 because I stick to a physical sun block for daily use. I don't think the long term use of chemical sunscreens, especially those over SPF30, is very good for the skin or body. The sunblock I use has not caused me any problems with regular application, even in the (very strong UV 10+) tropical sun. I tested this out on a boat trip, although I did sit in the shade mostly/had a hat and giant sunglasses on.

I was just wondering if anyone else has tried spot treating an age spot/if you ended up with white spots?! esp. if they have similar skin type to me. I'm worried of white spots/ravaging just that small area of skin. The HQ I was given makes my eyes water, and the spot is just bigger than the end of a pencil eraser in the middle of my cheek, so something in it must be pretty strong. Smile

free skin care · Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:52 pm

Is the sun spot a isolated mark on your face, or are you concerned about a lot of freckles/ pigmentation marks? Have you discussed IPL? If the sunspot is an isolated mark and not dermal ( too deep ) IPL could be be effective. It's worth considering. It may take a more than one treatments. Again, everything is a waste, if sunblock isn't used daily. It's the sun, that's the direct cause of the problem.

It's great you are making a concious effort to avoid direct sun expose

free skin care · Wed Jul 13, 2011 7:14 pm

I agree with fongflyer about the ipl from a derm. And that way you can have the spot checked to make sure it's "nothing".

BTW, regarding undereye dark circles, I had these, too. They weren't very dark, but noticeable on my light skin. I had some nice creams and concealers that worked.

Oddly, one thing that worked really well was using a Clarisonic. I don't use it over my eyes! Just on my face as recommended. I use the most gentle brush (the blue one -- I forget if it's called "gentle" or "sensitive"). Just a few weeks after starting the Clarisonic I noticed the circles had almost completely disappeared. Maybe it has to do with microcirculation.

Whatever it is, I'll take it!

free skin care · Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:33 am

I will not suggest hydroquinone during the day.
Best way to apply is at night time when your skin is recuperating or at rest.... Make sure that you have SPF of at least 30. Whenever you are out in the sun, make sure that you use SPF, hat or anything to protect your skin. Don't expose too much sun...

fongflyer5 wrote:

Used the 4% hydroquinone!! twice a day. It will greatly improve the pigmentation that concerns you. It works! You will see an improvement within 4 weeks, even earlier. It will inhibit the production of the pigmentation.

Unfortunately, it's only effective if you use a good sunscreen religiously. All you good results from both retin A and hydroquinone will be wasted if you don't use sunscreen. Retin A and hydroquinone is the Gold Standard for treating sunspots, pigmentation issues. I can't stress the importance of sunscreen.

I so confident it will help you, I use obagi which uses the same products and I achieve great results!

Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:20 pm

I'm also wary of using products with hydroquinone. I read somewhere that it's detrimental to one's health. That's why as much as possible, I purchase only those products made from natural ingredients. The product I use now to lighten my dark spots was recommended by a friend (I don't know if you've heard about it, but it's called Whiterderm)and bought online. It has no hydroquinone, which is such a relief. Very effective cream.

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