Although the skin condition referred to by many as "dark spots" does not cause discomfort or pain, the area itself is certainly not pleasing to the eye and is considered burdensome to those who must live with it day after day.
Some sufferers even reach a point where they lack confidence, becoming introverted and antisocial.
And while people who have dark spots usually wish to eliminate them quickly, they want to do so while avoiding anymore skin damage.
Upper-Layer Exfoliation One popular method used to remove brown spots is an exfoliation process that gently removes the skin's upper layers.
This procedure is done only after the administering of a specialized cream that helps in the removal of dark skin layers without disturbing surrounding healthy cells.
The majority of dermatologists prefer creams containing alpha hydroxyl acid, or AHA.
Additional AHA Information AHA is essentially a grouping of individual acids that are widely used for correcting various skin conditions like brown spots, acne, fine lines, wrinkles and scars.
In the AHA group, there is citric acid that originates from citrus fruits, glycolic acid that is directly removed from sugar cane, lactic acid that is milk based, malic acid from apples, mandelic acid from almonds and finally, tartaric acid from grapes.
Besides working to treat a variety of skin problems, these AHA acids are extremely effective for nourishing and moisturizing the skin.
Focusing on Citric, Glycolic and Lactic Acid Out of the six AHA acids described above, glycolic is currently the most frequently used for dark sun spot treatments.
However, it is worth noting that citric and lactic acids are heavily utilized for brown-spot removal.
Generally, these acids are used by dermatologists who will supervise the application of concentrated substances on the skin in order to remove its upper layer, displaying a healthy layer at the surface.
The specific substance's concentration will vary depending on the extent of the condition.
Home-Based Bleach Creams There are a few bleach creams that do have AHA.
These creams are home-based and while their active-ingredient concentration is relatively lower since medical supervision is not given, there is still an increased chance of experiencing unwanted side effects.
If you choose to go the home-based bleach route, find the exfoliation product containing the smallest percentage of active elements and continue to raise the concentration only if the current level does not produce desirable and expected results.