Age spots are a common occurrence when people spend a lot of time in the sun throughout their lives. While they are common and harmless, you may not appreciate their appearance. Polyphenols are a promising natural treatment for age spots. 
If you’ve noticed you’re getting darkened spots on your skin, you may be looking for options to remove them. Seeing a dermatologist can help you explore your treatment options, but if you aren’t interested in medical treatment options and would rather try something more natural, polyphenols might be the place to go. Here, we will explore the options available and the research on using polyphenols to prevent and reduce the appearance of age spots.
What are age spots?
Age spots go by many different names: age spots, sun spots, liver spots, senile lentigo, and solar lentigines.
Melanin is what causes our skin to have color. Areas that have sunspots have excessive production of melanin concentrated in that area.
Age spots look like a large freckle on your skin. They’re darker than your normal skin color. Age spots are larger than freckles and can be darker in color. They are circular and have defined edges where they end.
Age spots are sometimes mistaken for skin cancer spots. The main difference is that age spots will not be raised or have a different texture from the surrounding skin. Typically, melanoma (skin cancer spots) will be raised and feel different from the skin around them.
While this is how they are usually differentiated, your dermatologist may want to err on the side of caution and test to be sure it isn’t a cancerous spot – early detection is key to cancer survival success after all. And if you have a family history of skin cancers, you’ll definitely want to have them checked just to be safe.
Age spots are harmless, but if they’re in an inconvenient spot and make you feel self-conscious, there are treatment options for age spots.
What causes age spots?
Age spots are caused by spending a lot of time in the sun. They’re the result of your body creating more melanin in that one spot than in the surrounding areas. While researchers are unsure of what causes age spots to pop up in some and not others, there are some commonalities in people with sun spots.
- Age spots typically happen in people 40 years old or older. They can happen in younger people as well, but they’re seen more commonly in this age group.
- People with fair skin will notice age spots more than those with darker complexions.
- People who spend a lot of time outdoors in the sun.
- Those who use tanning beds often have more age spots than those who do not.
Since age spots are found on skin that is more highly exposed to the sun, you’ll notice them on your face, arms, hands, shoulders, upper back, and forearms.
Age Spot Treatment Options
While not necessary since age spots aren’t dangerous, dermatologists can provide you with multiple treatment options if you want them gone. Some treatment options for age spots include:
- Medicated creams (hydroquinone, retinoids, cortisone, etc.)
- Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion
- Laser treatments
- Cryosurgery
- Chemical peels
- Intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment
- Over-the-counter creams (specifically ones that contain deoxyarbutin, glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy acid, or kojic acid)
You can also do your best to prevent age spots by using sunscreen (at least SPF 30), wearing UV-blocking clothing and gloves, staying covered while out in the sun, and avoiding tanning beds.
Polyphenols for Age Spots
Since age spots are caused by UV exposure, doing what you can to protect your skin from UV rays can help. While we typically default to using sunscreen, UV-blocking clothes, and avoiding the sun at full power, there’s actually something else that can help significantly. It’s something you likely have in your kitchen and can get if you don’t already have some in stock. The answer?
Polyphenols.
But how does one use polyphenols for UV-protection? Do you slather them all over your skin like sunblock? Well, you can. There are some topical treatments that use the power of polyphenols to help improve the appearance of your skin.
The best way to harness the potent skin-protecting properties that they can provide is by eating a diet rich in polyphenols.
Polyphenols work to protect the skin because they’re easily used by our cells. They help to reduce inflammation and keep the cells healthy so they function properly. When your cells work the way they normally do, they won’t overproduce melanin. However, with age-related inflammation, they can work less efficiently, and this may trigger melanin overproduction.
Polyphenols have been linked to a decrease in sun-related UV damage, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Since researchers haven’t quite pinned down the exact way that UV rays cause age spots, knowing that polyphenols can help with all of these is the best place to start.
Which polyphenols are best for UV protection?
Every food we get from plants contains polyphenols. With that, ranging from fruits, vegetables, and flowers to seeds, roots, and nuts, there are a ton of sources for us to get polyphenols from. While that sounds promising, it can sound daunting to some — which polyphenols are the best for UV protection?
Studies have shown that resveratrol — the main polyphenol found in grapes, wine, and peanuts — is a great place to start. Melanosomes are organelles in melanocytes (cells that create pigment for the skin and eyes). Melanosomes are important for protecting the cells from UV damage. Resveratrol was found to help control the activity of the melanosomes so they didn’t overreact and cause hyperpigmentation. This makes resveratrol a highly important area of study for age spots, age-related skin damage, and UV protection in general.
Some other sources of polyphenols that appear to be helpful in preventing UV damage include:
- Green tea
- White tea
- Cocoa
- Grape seeds (making grape seed oil a potentially great ingredient for topical UV applications)
- Romanian propolis (a product made by bees)
- Calluna vulgaris extract (commonly referred to as heather)
- Honeybush extract
- Maca (Lepidium meyenii)
- Oils (olive and coconut used topically or internally, and essential oils used topically include peppermint, tulsi, and lemongrass, ranked the highest with an SPF of 6 or 7)
Eating a wide variety of whole, plant-based foods in addition to proactive UV protection is the best way to reduce and prevent age spots. Atrantil is a great source of easy-to-use polyphenols and can be a great way to get your daily dose of polyphenols and boost your gut health. Grab your bottle here!
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