Sunspots

A sunspot is a localised patch where melanocytes have been driven into overproduction by years of ultraviolet exposure and stay that way. They are flat, sharply edged, tan to dark brown, and appear on the face, hands, forearms and chest — the areas that accumulate incidental daily sun rather than deliberate sunbathing.

They are distinct from melasma, which is hormonal, blotchier, symmetrical and sits deeper, and from freckles, which are genetic and fade in winter. Sunspots do not fade seasonally; they accumulate.

Topical treatment is slow but real. Tyrosinase inhibitors — azelaic acid, tranexamic acid, arbutin, kojic acid, vitamin C — interrupt pigment production; retinoids speed the turnover that carries pigmented cells to the surface; exfoliating acids help them shed. Three to six months of daily use is the realistic timeline, and results are partial. In-office options — targeted lasers, intense pulsed light, cryotherapy — clear individual spots far more decisively.

Two rules make or break the outcome. Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen is not the supporting act but the treatment, because untreated exposure regenerates pigment faster than any topical removes it. And any spot that changes shape, colour or border, or bleeds, is not a cosmetic concern and needs a dermatologist rather than a serum.