Skin Care - Learn How To Deal With Age Spots

Wouldn’t it be great to stop the hands of time and stay young forever?  Sadly, nobody gets the privilege to enjoy eternal youth.  And no matter what we do, we will all eventually grow old.  That is the unbreakable law of nature. 

As we age, it is inevitable that we show some signs of the passing years.  Our hair may start to thin out, lines may start showing on our faces and our bodies may start to succumb to the force of gravity.  Another telltale sign of growing old is the development of flat brown spots that may appear on any part of the body.  Oftentimes referred to as “age spots" or “liver spots", these brown spots are actually the result of a waste build-up known in the medical community as “lipofuscin accumulatio".   

Some people believe that these age spots (or liver spots) are harmless.  What they do not understand is that these are actually an indication that the cells of the body are slowly being poisoned by all the waste products that have accumulated over the years.  These spots are actually an indication of free radical intoxication.  If left unchecked, this may hasten the aging process and can lead to serious health complications such as leukemia and cancer. 

Thankfully, however, there are several ways to counter this problem.  With several lifestyle changes and with the help of some basic skin care regimen, you can deal with age spots effectively.  Here are some surefire tips that can help you take care of your skin better:

•Eat your way to proper skin care.  Diet plays a vital role in the development of age spots and an important consideration in any skin care regimen.  A diet high in fat can significantly increase free radical activity and cooking food at high temperatures (such as when frying in oil) can produce a lot of free radicals.  To prevent this, adopt a high protein diet, which includes 50% raw fruits and vegetables.  Also include a lot of fresh grains, seeds and nuts.  Among the other food items that you need to take off from your diet are caffeine, fried foods and processed foods.   

•Supplement your diet and your skin care regimen with powerful antioxidants.  Antioxidants prevent free radical formation by pairing up with the free electrons and have the ability to detoxify the body.  As such, you can get a lot of benefits by supplementing your diet with these powerful antioxidants, which include vitamins (especially vitamins A, B complex, C, D and E), minerals (selenium and germanium) and enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione).   

•Herbs for excellent skin care.  For best results, use ginseng, gotu kola, licorice and sarsaparilla.  They can definitely lighten those ugly spots! 

•Shy away from the sun.  As every skin care specialist will tell you, the ultraviolet rays of the sun are one of the skin’s worst enemies.  So, don’t forget to apply your sunblock before going out in the sun! 

•Fasting and cleansing can be good for your skin.  A fasting program may be necessary to eradicate age spots.  It can also be a very good component of your skin care regimen.  However, be sure to consult your doctor first before doing anything about it.  Plus, a liver cleanse may also help fortify the action of your fast.  For best results, observe three days of fasting every month and use black radish extract or dandelion root and beet juice for the liver cleanse. 

•Retinoic acid to the rescue.  Retinoic acid is being prescribed by a lot of doctors as an effective skin care treatment for a number of skin problems including age spots.  Use it as directed and you cannot go wrong.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Skin Care