| Treatment method |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| Home remedies for age spots |
- Easily available
- Cost effective
- Very less side effects
- No need to consult a dermatologist or any doctor to take the treatment
|
- Takes a long time to reduce age spots
- Needs to be applied daily for several weeks or months to get the effect
- Can develop allergic reactions
|
| Hydroquinone for age spots |
- Not an invasive procedure
- Cost effective
|
- Takes several weeks to reduce the age spots
- Needs to be applied daily
- Can develop allergic reactions
- Can develop a temporary dryness, redness and burning of the skin during the initial period
- If not applied properly normal skin also can lighten
- Some studies have shown that there is a risk of cancer with the use of hydroquinone
|
| Retinoids for treating age spots |
- Not an invasive procedure
- Cost effective
|
- Takes several weeks to reduce the age spots
- Needs to be applied daily
- Can develop allergic reactions
- Retinoid reaction can occur which is characterized by pruritus, burning sensation at the sites of application, erythema and peeling
- Photosensitivity can occur at the initial stages of treatment
|
| Laser and intense pulse light therapy for treatment of age spots |
- Laser and intense pulse light therapy is the best way out of all the methods
- It remove the age spots permanently and it also reduce the age spots recurring again
- Within a short period of time you will be able to get results (with 2-3 session)
- It also reduce the other early signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles and scars
- There is very minimum pain after the procedure
|
|
- Very expensive
- Burns and other injuries from the heat can occur
- If a patient’s skin is very sensitive and intense it can result in mild scarring following treatment
- Mild swelling will develop after the procedure in some people
- There is a risk of infection
- When new age spots appear it is not good to repeatedly use laser and intense pulse light therapy
- There is a risk of getting hyperpigmentation (increased pigmentation) or hypopigmentation (decreased pigmentation) depending on your skin tone
|
| Microdermabrasion for age spots |
- Less cost than the laser treatment
- Non-surgical and less-invasive procedure therefore you can go back to your normal activities immediately.
- It’s quite effective No risk of infection or permanent scarring after the procedure if it was performed by a qualified person.
- Since its less aggressive procedure it leaves mild skin blemishes with a smoother appearance
- It also reduce the other early signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles and scars
|
- Temporary redness and irritation can occur just after the treatment
- If there is lot of scarring associated with age spots repeated treatment will be needed to remove the scars
- You have to undergo the procedure several times to remove the age spots
- If you have rosacea or tiny red veins on your face, this technique could make the condition worse.
|
| Chemical peeling for age spot treatment |
- The cost is very less than the topical treatments
- It will reduce the age spots and other skin blemishes such as scars, wrinkles
|
- Continue treatment is needed for a several months to remove the age spots
- Redness and irritation can occur at the initial period
- There is a risk of getting permanent skin pigment changes
- Chemical burns and permanent scarring can also occur
|
| Cryotherapy for age spot treatment |
- It’s not an invasive procedure
- Less cost compared to laser therapy and microdermabrasion
- Can remove age spots in a short period
|
- Temporary skin irritation
- Risk of permanent scarring and discoloration
- Can only be used on single spots or on small groups of spots
|
| Microneedling age spot treatment |
- Microneedling can remove age spots, scarring effectively
- Microneedling is an minimally invasive procedure which can be done in a clinic setting
|
- Microneedling for age spots is an invasive procedure compared to other treatment methods
- Needs at least about four session to completely remove age spots
- After the procedure you need to rest for some time before engaging with normal activities
- There is a risk of bleeding, bruising, peeling and infection after the procedure.
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