The Men’s Guide To Age Spots And Pigmentation

Pigmentation and age spots affect men as well as women. Too much sun (and too little sunblock!) can lead to unwanted patches on the skin. Our men's guide to age spots and pigmentation looks at the causes and best at-home treatment.

Age Spots and Pigmentation Are??? Larger flat brown or black marks that appear on the skin. They can be any size or shape but you'll usually see them on the face, hands or any part of the body that's been in the sun (ie the back and shoulders). They're very common and extremely normal! Although they're called age spots you can actually get them at any age. Pigmentation just means darker areas of skin or small brown marks that appear at random, usually on the face.

By Invertzoo - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34984783	By User:Elord from Wikidocs - http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Image:Melasmablemish.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12267487

What Causes Pigmentation And Age Spots?The sun is the main cause, also tanning beds and hormone changes. As skin is exposed to UV light, it naturally produces melanin. Then over the years areas of melanin 'clump together' to form patches of darker skin that don't fade (age spots). Treatment is possible (though age spots present for a long time may be resistant).

Pigmentation And Age Spot Treatment Good news! Pigmentation and age spots occur in the upper layers of the skin. This means they can be treated. Professional treatments range from laser to IPL, skin peels and microdermabrasion. However, the slower (less painful!) route of a course of home treatment taken over 8 to 12 weeks should also yield results.

1. A monthly peel or weekly exfoliation - for an easier option we like Skin Doctor's Gamma Hydroxy Skin Resurfacing Cream or take your pick from our collection of exfoliators just for men
2. Daily use (night time is ideal) of a dark spot correcting serum - Clinique's Dark Spot Corrector just for men is ideal or for larger areas try Skin Doctor's SD White & Bright Complex
3. Daily use of a retinoid cream to encourage skin renewal (again night time use is fine). For an intense treatment we like La Roche-Posay Redermic R Intensive Anti-Ageing Concentrate or combine with a moisturiser in a morning product such as L'Oréal Men Expert Vita Lift
4. Daily sunblock - absolutely VITAL, even in winter! Skin being treated will be more sensitive to the sun, plus you don't want any more damage to pop up.... We like Ultrasun Anti-Pigmentation or Biotherm Homme Sport Defense

Pigmentation And Age Spot PreventionSunblock, sunblock, sunblock! Ideally you should be using at least an SPF30 on a daily basis. Not only will this prevent premature ageing, your skin will be safe from UV rays and further age spots. An easy win is the Ultrasun range. This formula is a once a day product. Always apply sunblock while you're actively treating pigmentation and apply at least 30 minutes before exposure to the sun.

You can shop all products we recommend for pigmentation and age spots here.You should still see results from products aimed at women, although results may be a little slower. This is because male skin is tougher than female skin(!), and product intensity is less than a men-only product.