Are you seeing spots before your eyes when you look at your hands? Age spots are usually not harmful, but they can be unsightly. Here are a few natural treatments that can make those ugly dots disappear…
Horseradish to the rescue: Mix one teaspoon of grated horseradish root, one-half teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, one-half teaspoon of vinegar and three drops of rosemary essential oil. With a cotton swab, dab the mixture onto the age spots twice a day, less often if you have sensitive skin. The mildly irritating ingredients will gently exfoliate the top layer of skin, which lightens the spots.
Caution: If the spots are dark brown, black, red, white or blue or irregular in size, shape or color, see your dermatologist.
Thanks to Jeanette Jacknin, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in San Diego, California, and the author of Smart Medicine for Your Skin, for this tip.
Tropical treatment: Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that can help dissolve those spots. But be sure to use fresh juice…not canned, jarred, bottled, frozen or concentrated. To get fresh pineapple juice without a fancy juicer, take very ripe pineapple cut-up—about a half cup or so—and blend in a high-speed blender. You can drain the liquid through cheesecloth or just use the juicy pulp. Here’s what to do: Make sure your skin is clean and oil-free or cream-free. Dip a cotton ball in the pineapple juice, and place it on the spot. Leave it there for 20 minutes, then rinse with tepid water and pat dry. Do this every day, and within a week or two, the spots should start to fade.
Teary juice fix: Squeeze a grated onion through cheesecloth so that you have one teaspoon of onion juice. Mix it with two teaspoons of white vinegar, and massage the brown spots with this liquid until it’s pretty much absorbed into the skin. Do this daily—twice a day, if possible—until your age spots are history.
Note: Keep in mind that these brown spots, usually caused by sun exposure, took years to form, so it may take a month or so to completely disappear.
