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DARK SPOTS, LIVER SPOTS, AGE SPOTS, SUN SPOTS
Written by Slawomir (“Swavak”) Gromadzki, MPH
Dark spots are also known as age spots, liver spots, freckles, sunspots, solar lentigines, or black spots — are flat dark, brown or black spots. They vary in size and often appear on areas exposed to the sun especially on face, but also on hands and arms. Age spots are most common in adults older than age 40. They sometimes fade away without no treatment.
CAUSES
Usually dark or black spots and patches on the face may be due to over secretion of melanin pigment. The skin cells, called melanocytes, produce excess pigment (melanin) in just some spot instead of uniformly across the skin. It is believed that this abnormal behaviour of melanocytes is caused by over exposure to the sun or tanning-bed UV rays and skin’s inability to regenerate after prolonged sun exposure in those selective areas.
According to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology harmful radiation emitted by TV screens, computer screens, and even uncovered fluorescent lights may cause dark spots on skin when you expose your skin to this radiation regularly for a longer periods of time. Visible artificial light stimulate pigment production in the same way that UV sun light does. In order to cope with this factor try to reduce the time of exposure or at least make sure to take frequent breaks.
However, it is unexplained why not everyone who regularly overexposes skin to the sun or tanning-bed UV rays develops sun spots. May be there are some other factors which contribute to this condition such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, stress, hormones in birth control pills, hormone imbalance, medications, ageing, certain diseases, etc. Changes in hormones can cause hyperpigmentation and dark spots. This is why pregnant women who develop dark spots often get rid of them without doing anything after they give birth.
A folic acid (folate) deficiency (diet low in green leafy vegetables) can lead to hyperpigmentation.
Pollution, toxins and harmful chemicals probably also play role in this condition, especially when liver and kidneys do not detoxify the body effectively. That is the reason why dark spots are also called liver spots.
Sunspots are harmless and don’t turn into skin cancer. However, skin cancer (melanoma) can mimic a sunspot as common skin cancer types usually start as a flat dark or brown patches. Find out more how to prevent and treat Skin cancer >
Now, you, like myself, may wonder, why over exposure to the sun or tanning-bed UV rays can cause dark spots in only some individuals while others seem to be resistant to the harmful effect of the radiation even though they may expose their skin to the sunlight or computer radiation for a very long time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any attempt to explain this phenomenon.
NATURAL REMEDIES
Dark spots can be eliminated or lightened by the following simple applications:
– Amazing healing properties of Clay have been known for centuries in many cultures around the world. Cleopatra used Dead Sea clay twice a week in order to maintain her skin smooth and unblemished. Back in Poland I used and recommended this wonderful remedy externally and internally for many different conditions often with great success. There are different types of clay such as Kaolin Clay (White), Green Clay, Bentonite (Grey/Cream colour), or Rhassoul Clay (Moroccan Red Clay). All of them can be effectively used to detoxify, regenerate and nourish the skin, to eliminate inflammation, or brighten dark areas. Clay mask is also one of the most effective ways to get rid of dark spots and to effectively treat almost any skin problems.
In order to make a face mask mix two tablespoons of any type of clay with two 2 tablespoons of water (distilled would be the best), or rose water, or the same amount (2 TBS) of strong Calendula tea (or Comfrey tea), and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly, wash your face with distilled water or clean with aloe vera juice and apply the mask on the skin. Let it dry for about 30 minutes and rinse.
Note: Do not use any metal tool to mix clay with other ingredients. Use a wooden or glass instrument to keep clay potent and effective.
To get much better results the mask needs to be left on the skin much longer or even overnight (only if you are able to sleep with it). You should also enrich the above ingredients with 1 teaspoon of cold pressed Olive oil, Evening primrose oil or Castor oil. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly, wash your face with distilled water or clean with aloe vera juice and apply the mask on the skin. This time you also need to cover the mask with a clingfilm to prevent it from drying.
Some ladies who left a Green Clay mask on face overnight told me it worked like a magic. In case of a dry skin try to use a raw organic coconut oil or vitamin E oil after removing the mask.
– Fresh lemon or lime juice is regarded by many as the best natural remedy for removing dark spots on the skin. It is naturally acidic and contains bleaching agent able to fade the dark spots. Fresh lemon juice contains vitamin C and bioflavonoids that may be effective in lightening dark skin spots. Put some fresh lemon or lime juice on a cotton ball and rub it on the dark skin patches. As soon as it gets dry wash it off with water. Continue this treatment two times a day for at least two weeks. If you have sensitive skin, you may dilute the lemon juice with distilled or filtered water, rosewater, or Manuka honey.
Note: Some suggest that eating a lemon or an orange shouldn’t cause melasma, but applying citrus products to the skin and then exposing it to the sun can cause a reaction called berloque dermatitis, leading to hyperpigmentation. For this reason avoid lemon mask before you are going out in the sun.
– Mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of raw fresh grated potatoes with 1 teaspoon of true Manuka honey. Place the mixture directly on the black spots. Leave for about 10 minutes and wash your face. Repeat the procedure until spots vanish. Sliced potato (or tomato) applied on dark spots should give the similar results.
– Using a mask with a teaspoon of ground organic Turmeric every day is very effective for hyperpigmentation as well. Mix 1 teaspoon of raw organic turmeric powder with 1/4 cup of raw honey (Manuka honey would be the best), and pure aloe vera gel, or fresh lemon juice and make a mask. Let the mask dry then rinse with water. If the mask contains honey, you can leave it on for as long as you wish.
– Mix 1 tablespoon of sandalwood powder with 3 tablespoons of rose water and 1 tablespoon of glycerine. Make a thick paste and apply it to the dark skin spots. Wash off the paste with lukewarm water after a few minutes. Continue the treatment twice daily until the dark areas are gone.
– Fresh tomato juice and buttermilk have excellent bleaching properties and should be effective in lightening dark skin areas. Mix 2 tablespoons of buttermilk with 1 tablespoon of fresh tomato juice and apply. Wash it off after 15 minutes. Repeat this procedure twice daily for four to five weeks. If you don’t have buttermilk try to use sliced tomatoes or fresh juice without buttermilk as there are ladies who reported effectiveness of this method too after a few weeks of using.
– Mix 1 tablespoon of Manuka honey with 1 teaspoon of organic Apple cider vinegar with mother (or fresh lemon juice) and apply it on your skin. Wash the skin after about 30 minutes. Repeat at least 3 times a week.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
– The most important aspect of successful treatment is lifestyle and diet according to the recommendations listed in the HEALTH RECOVERY PLAN > Please study it carefully and do your best to use the remedies and implement all the principles. If you manage to do it you will recover from this problem.
– To improve the colour, quality and health of the skin there is nothing more important than to detoxify the body and boost GLUTATHIONE >. Read my article on SKIN LIGHTENING (WHITENING) > and you will find the most effective ways to increase this most important antioxidant. As far as detoxification is concerned take about 20 tablets or 2 tablespoons of organic CHLORELLA before breakfast. Read more about amazing health benefits of this incredible super algae >
– Drink more filtered water between meals (distilled water is the best option). Read more >
– According to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology harmful radiation emitted by TV screens and computer screens as well as uncovered fluorescent lights may cause dark spots on skin when you expose your skin to this radiation regularly for long periods of time. Visible artificial light stimulate pigment production in the same way that UV sun light does. In order to cope with this factor try to reduce the time of exposure or at least make sure to take frequent breaks.
– Some sources maintain that if you decide to use sunscreen it can’t be just any sunscreen. It must be a mineral sunscreen which contains zinc oxide and not titanium dioxide. These are supposed to be the only sunscreens that really protect against the full spectrum of light. However, the recommended Titanium dioxide in 2009 Japanese study was found to disrupt the DNA of a protein in the part of the brain where autism and epilepsy is triggered! So, if you decide to use a sunscreen try to find one without titanium dioxide but instead get one with zinc oxide for active UVA and UVB ray protection. Zinc oxide is a mineral found in nature and has been used for decades as a safe ingredient to help prevent excessive sun exposure. Other good ingredients may include Astaxathin (one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants), Coconut oil, Tocopheryl (vitamin E), Shea butter (a natural plant lipid used as a thickener, moisturiser and emulsifier), Eucalyptus oil, Aloe vera gel (contains over 130 active compounds and over 30 amino acids beneficial to our skin).
There are also certain chemicals in many sunscreens that react with UV light generating harmful free radicals in the skin. And even if you get a good sunscreen with harmless ingredients try use it wisely as your body needs sun. Contrary to what media and sunscreen makers dictate, there is a decrease in the rates of malignant melanoma among people who live in regions of strong UVB exposure! There are almost one thousand references in the medical literature demonstrating the effectiveness of vitamin D – in both preventing and treating cancer. Sunscreens, on the other hand, contribute to cancer because they contain carcinogens and because they do not allow sun to make vitamin D which fights with cancer. According to Marco Torres, “The sunscreen industry makes money by selling products that actually contain cancer-causing chemicals. It then donates a portion of that money to the cancer industry through non-profit groups like Cancer Societies which, in turn, run heart-breaking public service ads and charity events urging people to donate and use sunscreen to prevent cancer.” (January 20, 2015, Waking Times)
“I have worked in the sun for the past 11 years. I don’t believe in any of the sun screens out there because of all the chemicals. I believe the chemicals cause skin cancer, not the sun. In the past eleven years, I have only had one problem from the sun. I had a patch of dark skin show up on my lower jaw line which was like an age spot. I used witch hazel on it for about a month and it disappeared and has never returned. I know, first hand, the power the sun has on our body. If I have a day that I can’t be out in the sun, my body lets me know. I can’t stand how our medical industry tricks people into believing all their lies about the sun and their medicines. Maybe it’s the governments’ way of trying to keep population down.” jewels799 (source >)
– Alpha Lipoic Acid is the most important after glutathione in our cells and is involved in energy production, blood sugar control, brain health, detoxification and therefore also skin health and quality as it will prevent skin cells from being damaged by free radicals. The body usually makes it, but given all the stresses we are under as well as many other factors, we are always deficient. As I mentioned before, glutathione supplementation has not been proven to be an effective way due to poor absorption and because it has low ability to accumulate in our brain. Fortunately, lipoic acid has been shown excellent ability to increase intracellular glutathione levels by about 70%!!! In addition it can also regenerate and increase other common antioxidants such as vitamins C or E in our body. Another good news is that lipoic acid is able to chelate iron which tends to be catalysed into very harmful activity by the antibiotic gentamicin. Unfortunately, iron works as a pro-oxidant, which means it can significantly increase the harmful free-radical activity. It means that Alpha lipoic acid’s has also the ability to disarm the harmful iron!
– Since folic acid (folate) deficiency (diet low in green leafy vegetables) can lead to hyperpigmentation make sure you include parsley leaf, spinach, kale or other green leafy vegetables in your diet every day as by far they are the highest sources of folate. If you do this you wont need supplements. If you can’t have vegetables use only methylfolate form of this vitamin (about 200-400mcg a day).
– Super Greens powder is my favourite and one of the most powerful natural remedies I know. Take 1 teaspoon of the powder 30 min before breakfast with vegetable juice or water and 1 teaspoon 30 min before lunch. Many of our customers told me how effective this formula was in dealing with skin conditions, inflammations, back pains, chronic fatigue, diabetes, cancer, gastro-intestinal problems, liver and kidneys problems, weak immune system, etc. It consists of organic blend of very potent 11 super-rich mostly freeze-dried green super foods including Wheat Grass Juice (30 times stronger than regular juice!), Nettle, Chlorella, Spirulina, Kale Sprouts, Seagreens, freshwater plants and digestive herbs. Made with some of nature’s finest herbs, grown in fertile organic soils it captures the incredible essence of nature’s bounty.
– Go on an anti-inflammatory diet: Get plenty of fresh raw vegetable juices and raw vegetables (especially those rich in carotenoids such as carrots, as well as green leafy vegetables) and fresh fruits. Drink fresh vegetable juices with 1 teaspoon of ground organic turmeric.
– Take Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) extract of – two capsules or tablets twice a day for at least three months.
– Avoid pro-inflammatory oils and margarines and containing them junk food. Use only raw organic Coconut oil.
– Consume foods high in omega 3 fatty acids: Ground flax seed, flax oil, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes chia seeds. In addition take 2000mg a day of good quality omega 3 fish oil. Viridian makes excellent organic omega 3 fish oil with added antioxidant to prevent oxidation.
– Avoid sugar, gluten, dairy, stimulants including coffee and tea, alcohol, etc.
– Take 1000mg of evening primrose oil or star flower oil (borage oil).
– Learn to control stress.
– Everyday take chlorella (Pukka).
– Zinc (50 to 100mg after meal).
– Vitamin D3 (10 – 20,000 IU a day). Without adequate vitamin D, your body cannot control infection, in your skin or elsewhere. Exposing large areas of your skin to appropriate amounts of sunshine is the best way to optimize your vitamin D levels, or use a safe tanning bed. You should expose your skin until you just barely begin turning pink, which indicates you’ve generated the optimal amount of vitamin D for the day.
– A 400 IU of vitamin E capsule taken internally every day can reduce the appearance of dark spots on the skin. At the same time use vitamin E externally to get much better results: Puncture a vitamin E capsule, squeeze the capsule with vitamin E oil onto your finger and rub the oil onto the dark spots. Repeat the process at least once a day.
– There is also evidence that addressing a very common today, due to soil depletion or refined diet, Magnesium deficiency can increase glutathione levels, and vice versa, as boosting glutathione can increase magnesium too. Magnesium is required for proper functioning of enzyme gamma glutamyl transpeptidase which is necessary for the synthesis of Glutathione. The optimum daily intake of good quality magnesium such as magnesium citrate is considered at 400- 800 mg per day. Best dietary sources of magnesium are greens such as spinach, squash, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, beans, walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts. However, due to soil depletion diet alone may not be sufficient today to provide our body with proper amount of this most important mineral, all the more since there are many other factors that are involved in his problem. Also regular vitamin D supplementation, which is necessary today, leads to magnesium deficiency as well.
– Include good probiotic formula to boost good bacteria in your colon.
– Externally try to use raw organic coconut oil, castor oil and vitamin E oil. Avoid cosmetics with harmful chemicals. Many of today’s skin care products, soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics are nothing more than a toxic mixture of chemicals which cause more skin problems than they solve.
– Use only soaps (such as Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap o even better natural soaps with charcoal or clay), shampoos, cosmetics, deodorant or detergents with harmless natural ingredients.
– Agnus castus is the best herbal remedy I know to treat PMS and regulate one of the female sex hormones – progesterone. However, not too many people realise that men produce some progesterone too. In our bodies it used to prevent testosterone (male sex hormone) from converting into an inflammatory type of testosterone which may cause inflammatory acne in teenage boys. So if you know any young man with acne encourage him to take Agnus castus capsules (Natures aid) or tincture (Natures answer) for a couple of months as it will help if the condition is related to the progesterone imbalance.
– No gluten, low or no grain diet (stimulate igf-1)
– Low-glycaemic diet, no simple sugars (fructose, white flour, corn syrup, etc.), no chocolate & cheese, low fruit diet (fructose), more raw vegetable juices and raw vegetables.
– Avoid or at least reduce consumption of dairy and meat products.
– Exercise. Getting plenty of high-intensity exercise helps your body flush out toxins, including those in your skin’s pores. Plus, exercise is vitally important to all other aspects of your health. If you happen to have access to an infrared sauna, this can be helpful, because the more you sweat, the more you flush unwanted debris and contaminants out of your pores.
– Did you know that a good night’s sleep can decrease your stress and lead to clearer skin? Your body’s time for healing and rebuilding is at night while you sleep, and this applies to your skin. Sleep is also required for good energy and mood.
– Most important aspect of the treatment is implementing principles included in the HEALTH RECOVERY PLAN >
RELATED ARTICLES
INNER THIGH DISCOLORATION (DARK INNER THIGHS) >
SOURCES
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a18694/things-that-cause-dark-spots/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/14/enzyme-that-reverses-sun-damage-discovered.aspx
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