Brown spots: how to prevent and get rid of them
Whether related to age, (too many) sun exposures, hormonal imbalances during pregnancy, or a consequence of acne, brown spots result from localized hyperpigmentation caused by a disruption in the production of melanin pigments by melanocytes. Very common, they remain bothersome, especially when located on the face.
Why do brown spots appear on the skin?
The primary cause of brown spots is the sun. During exposure, the skin activates its natural defense systems, notably the production of melanin responsible for tanning. But when exposures are intense and repeated, without protection or with insufficient protection, this production can become disrupted and cause clusters of melanin to appear that persist beyond the tan. These are sun spots, also called solar lentigo.
With age, these disruptions become more frequent and brown spots multiply: these are then called age spots or senescence spots. This proliferation is even more significant if one has had a lot of sun exposure before age 50.
Another form of pigmented spots, well known to young mothers as the pregnancy mask, is melasma. It is also caused by an overproduction of melanin but occurs, this time, in response to hormonal changes. It does not only affect, despite its nickname, pregnant women, but can also appear following the use of contraceptive pills or hormone replacement therapy.
Finally, scar spots appear when the skin, weakened by an injury or burn, is exposed to the sun without protection. The epidermis reacts more strongly due to its fragility, and this excess melanin then forms brown spots all around the scar. This is, for example, the case for skin with imperfections that very often show acne scars.
How to limit the appearance of brown spots?
If there were only one piece of advice to avoid the appearance of brown spots, it would of course be to protect your skin from the sun, either by not exposing yourself at all—which is difficult when simply walking outside exposes us to UV rays—or by using daily sun protection, making sure to reapply every 2 hours and focusing on antioxidants, both in our skincare routine and diet.
If despite all these precautions, spots form, it is then time to use an anti-spot serum.
