4 quick questions. See what fades it, and how long it takes.
With daily sunscreen. Bars show what the sources describe, not a measurement.
The fade you see here assumes sunscreen every morning. MySkincare sends routine reminders, morning and evening.
Set up remindersThese are warning signs of melanoma, a skin cancer. If a spot has any of them, see a board-certified dermatologist.
AAD: ABCDEs · NHS: melanoma
Educational, not a diagnosis: only a dermatologist can tell what a spot is.
Melasma, sun spots, marks left by acne and freckles each fade differently. Answer 4 quick questions to see which one you likely have, what fades it and how long it takes.
!New, changing, bleeding or several colors? Skip the quiz and see a dermatologist.ABCDEsHow dermatology sources tell them apart: where they show up, what starts them, and whether they fade on their own.
AAD: melasma signsAAD: melasma causesAAD: melasma treatmentDermNet: melasma
DermNet: brown spotsCleveland Clinic: frecklesCleveland Clinic: hyperpigmentation
Sunscreen first, always. Then one active at a time: most can irritate, and irritation can leave new marks. Want it all in one plan? Build a routine for dark spots.
| Ingredient | Helps | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Tinted sunscreen, SPF 30+With iron oxides | Comes firstAll types | The AAD’s first step for dark spots and melasma: broad-spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, tinted with iron oxides, which also block visible light. In a trial of 68 people with melasma, adding visible-light protection improved melasma scores 15% more in 8 weeks. How to choose one.AAD: fade dark spotsAAD: melasma self-careCastanedo-Cazares 2014 |
| Azelaic acidGels, creams and 10% serums | Small studyPIHMelasma | On the AAD’s lists for dark spots and melasma. DermNet calls it particularly useful for darker skin with PIH or melasma. In a 20-person pilot study, a 15% gel twice a day reduced acne and PIH over 16 weeks. It can itch or burn. What not to mix.AAD: fade dark spotsAAD: melasma treatmentDermNet: azelaic acidKircik 2011 |
| Vitamin CSerums, in the morning | Expert sourcesPIHMelasma | On the AAD’s list for dark spots, and one of the gentler options for melasma. A dermatologist quoted by the AAD suggests it in the morning, with glycolic acid at night. What not to mix.AAD: fade dark spotsAAD: melasma treatmentAAD: pregnancy skin care |
| NiacinamideSerums and moisturizers | TrialPIHMelasma | In a split-face trial of 27 people with melasma, 4% niacinamide gave good to excellent results in 44%, against 55% for hydroquinone, with fewer side effects (18% vs 29%). DermNet lists it for PIH. What not to mix.Navarrete-Solís 2011DermNet: PIH |
| RetinoidsAdapalene, retinol, tretinoin | TrialPIHSun spots | On the AAD’s list. In a 40-week trial in 54 Black patients, tretinoin 0.1% lightened PIH more than a plain gel, but half got irritated skin, and irritation can cause new marks. Not in pregnancy. What not to mix.AAD: fade dark spotsDavis & Callender 2010AAD: pregnancy skin care |
| Glycolic acidAn AHA | Expert sourcesPIHSun spots | On the AAD’s list and in Mayo Clinic’s fade creams for age spots. AHAs make skin more sensitive to UV: use sunscreen while you use one and for a week after. What not to mix.AAD: fade dark spotsMayo Clinic: age spot treatmentFDA: AHAs |
| Kojic acidFade creams | Expert sourcesPIHMelasmaSun spots | Listed by the AAD for dark spots and melasma, and by Mayo Clinic for age spot fade creams.AAD: fade dark spotsAAD: melasma treatmentMayo Clinic: age spot treatment |
| HydroquinonePrescription only in the US | PrescriptionMelasmaSun spots | Since the CARES Act, the FDA treats hydroquinone lighteners sold without approval as unapproved drugs, to be off shelves from September 2020; the AAD says it’s no longer sold without a prescription. The FDA has reports of rashes, facial swelling and ochronosis, a darkening that may be permanent. On the AAD’s pregnancy avoid list.FDA: hydroquinoneAAD: melasma treatmentAAD: pregnancy skin care |
| Tranexamic acidCream or pill, prescription | PrescriptionMelasma | For melasma that’s very hard to treat, from a dermatologist. Tell them if you’ve ever had a blood clot.AAD: melasma treatment |
Vitamin C, azelaic acid, niacinamide and retinoids all show up in dark-spot routines. See which ones can share a routine.
Since the CARES Act, hydroquinone skin lighteners sold over the counter without FDA approval are treated as unapproved drugs. The AAD says it’s no longer sold without a prescription. A dermatologist can still prescribe it.
The AAD warns that imported skin care can contain steroids or mercury that aren’t on the label, and suggests products made in the US or recommended by your dermatologist. Cleveland Clinic says mercury can damage the kidneys or nerves.
The AAD says to never apply liquid bleach to your skin. Stop any product that burns or stings: irritation can leave new dark spots.
On darker skin, laser energy can be absorbed by the skin’s own pigment and cause new discoloration, and peels need care to avoid irritation. In melasma, peels and lasers can make it worse. Ask a board-certified dermatologist.
True age spots are harmless, says Mayo Clinic. But the AAD warns that “what looks like an age spot could be skin cancer,” and that a fading treatment on a skin cancer can let it grow and possibly spread. Get a new or changing spot checked before you treat it.
This page answered your question. MySkincare starts from your own skin, and the products you already use.
Start by finding the type, because each one fades differently. For most dark spots, the AAD’s advice comes down to: treat what caused them, wear a tinted sunscreen with iron oxides (SPF 30+) every day, and use a fading ingredient such as azelaic acid, vitamin C, a retinoid, glycolic acid or kojic acid. Add new products one at a time and stop any that burn or sting, since irritation can leave new marks. Expect months, not weeks. If over-the-counter care doesn’t help, a dermatologist can prescribe stronger treatment.
Hyperpigmentation means areas of skin that are darker than the rest; Cleveland Clinic calls it a common condition. Melasma is one kind: blotchy brown or gray-brown patches on the face, set off by sun, pregnancy or birth control pills. Cleveland Clinic lists other causes too, like skin injuries such as acne (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) and sun damage (sun spots).
The AAD says a spot a few shades darker than your skin usually fades within 6 to 12 months, once whatever caused it has stopped. Deeper discoloration that looks slate blue or gray can take years. Treatment can speed it up, and so can avoiding anything that irritates the skin.
Yes: they’re different names for the same flat brown spots caused by years of sun, called solar lentigines. Mayo Clinic says true age spots don’t need treatment, but you can lighten them for cosmetic reasons. Unlike freckles, they don’t fade in winter.
Sometimes. The AAD says it may fade when a trigger such as pregnancy or a medicine stops, and Cleveland Clinic says melasma from pregnancy usually fades, often within about 3 months after delivery. It can also last for years, and sun can bring it back.
Not legally in the US. Since the CARES Act, the FDA treats over-the-counter hydroquinone lighteners without FDA approval as unapproved drugs, which had to come off the market from September 2020. It’s available with a prescription. The AAD lists it among ingredients to avoid in pregnancy.
A broad-spectrum, tinted sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher that contains iron oxides. Iron oxides also block visible light, which can worsen melasma, and they’re listed in the inactive ingredients. In a trial of 68 people with melasma, a sunscreen that also blocked visible light improved melasma scores 15% more than a UV-only one. See how to choose a sunscreen.
It’s on the AAD’s list of ingredients that can fade dark spots and treat melasma, and DermNet calls it particularly useful for darker skin with marks or melasma. It can itch or burn. Using it with vitamin C? Check the pair.
Use the ABCDEs: asymmetry, an irregular border, several colors, a diameter usually over 6 mm, and evolving (changing). The AAD also says to see a dermatologist for any new spot, or one that looks different from your others, itches or bleeds. In brown and Black skin, melanoma is more often on the palms, the soles and under the nails.
Gently. The AAD says to avoid retinoids and hydroquinone in pregnancy, and suggests a mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. A dermatologist quoted by the AAD suggests vitamin C in the morning and glycolic acid at night, and Cleveland Clinic says azelaic acid is safe in pregnancy. See the pregnancy-safe checker.
They fade in winter and come back each summer. DermNet says they need no treatment beyond sun protection, and Cleveland Clinic says they’re usually harmless. Watch for one that looks different from the others or changes.
American Academy of Dermatologyaad.org
Causes of dark spots; treat the cause; 6 to 12 months to fade, years for slate blue or gray marks; tinted SPF 30+ with iron oxide (an inactive ingredient); azelaic acid, glycolic acid, kojic acid, retinoids and vitamin C; imported creams may hide steroids or mercury; never apply liquid bleach.
Cheeks, chin, forehead, nose and above the upper lip; blotchy patches in shades of brown, bluish gray in darker skin; more noticeable after time in the sun.
Much more common in women, ages 20 to 40, and in medium or dark skin tones; triggers include sunlight, pregnancy, birth control pills, tanning beds and sunlamps.
May go away after pregnancy or a medication stops; hydroquinone is no longer sold without a prescription; azelaic acid, kojic acid, vitamin C; tranexamic acid; results usually take 3 to 12 months.
Daily sun protection; visible light worsens melasma, so use a tinted sunscreen with iron oxide, SPF 30+; tanning beds can worsen it; products that burn or sting are irritating.
Melasma may go away on its own but can last years; other conditions cause uneven skin tone, so a board-certified dermatologist should make the diagnosis.
Avoid retinoids (including retinol) and hydroquinone in pregnancy; for melasma, a physical sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide; vitamin C in the morning and glycolic acid at night.
“What looks like an age spot could be skin cancer”: get a skin exam first; fading a skin cancer can let it grow; creams take weeks or months, lasers and peels work faster; spots return without sun protection.
Asymmetry, irregular border, varying colors, usually over 6 mm (a pencil eraser) but can be smaller, evolving; see a dermatologist for a new, different, changing, itching or bleeding spot; body mole map.
Skin cancer on palms, soles and nails; a dark line in a nail that doesn’t grow out; see a dermatologist promptly and say you found a possible sign of skin cancer; melanoma is highly treatable when caught early.
DermNetdermnetnz.org
Mostly seen in darker skin, where it can last longer; brown to black, or grey-purple-brown when deeper; daily sunscreen because UV can darken it; azelaic acid, hydroquinone, tretinoin, vitamin C, niacinamide.
Light-to-dark brown patches on both sides of the face; triggers include UV and visible light, pregnancy, birth control and perfumed products; slow to respond; peels and lasers can worsen it; often returns after summer sun.
Benign flat spots on sun-exposed skin, most common in lighter skin and older adults; stay year-round unlike freckles; lasers, peels, retinoids and bleaching creams.
Freckles are usually under 3 mm, start in childhood, fade in winter and need no treatment beyond sun protection; sun protection reduces new solar lentigines; pigmentation often returns the next summer.
Particularly useful for darker-skinned patients with postinflammatory pigmentation or melasma; can itch or burn; may lighten skin, more visible in darker tones.
Cleveland Clinicclevelandclinic.org
Brown, black, gray, red or pink spots; causes include sun damage (age spots, sun spots, liver spots), melasma, skin injury and hormones; treatments can take a few months to a year.
Harmless; affects 15% to 50% of pregnant women; UV and infrared (heat) make it worse; usually fades after pregnancy, often within 3 months; agents rarely clear all of it; can return; azelaic acid safe in pregnancy.
Flat tan to dark brown spots from UV; not dangerous but can look like skin cancer; skin lighteners with mercury can damage the kidneys or nerves.
Small flat spots, usually harmless, no need to treat; darker in summer, fade in winter; more common in lighter skin; daily SPF 30+; ABCDEs to tell them from melanoma.
Mayo Clinicmayoclinic.org
Flat, oval, tan to dark brown, freckle size to about 1/2 inch; backs of hands, face, shoulders, upper back; common after 50 and in skin that burns easily; check spots that are black, growing, ragged, multicolored or bleeding.
Prescription hydroquinone, alone or with retinoids, fades spots over several months; fade creams with glycolic acid or kojic acid; lasers, freezing, peels; a biopsy can rule out lentigo maligna.
First signs: a change in a mole or a new unusual growth; melanoma doesn’t always start as a mole; hidden melanomas on palms, soles and under nails are more common in brown or Black skin.
US Food and Drug Administrationfda.gov
Since the CARES Act, OTC skin lighteners with hydroquinone are unapproved, misbranded drugs, to be removed from the market from September 23, 2020; reported rashes, facial swelling and ochronosis, which may be permanent.
AHAs like glycolic acid increase UV sensitivity: use sunscreen while using them and for a week afterwards.
NHSnhs.uk
A new mole or a change in one; see a doctor for a mole that changed, itches, bleeds or crusts, a new mark (including palms or soles) that hasn’t gone in a few weeks, or a dark area under a nail not caused by an injury.
Studies and other sources
More frequent and severe in skin of color; months to years to resolve; treatment can cause PIH by irritating; in a 40-week trial in 54 Black patients, tretinoin 0.1% beat a plain gel, but half got retinoid dermatitis; lasers can cause discoloration.
68 people with melasma, all on 4% hydroquinone: a sunscreen that also blocked visible light (iron oxide) improved melasma scores 15% more than a UV-only sunscreen after 8 weeks.
Open-label pilot study, 20 adults with acne and PIH: azelaic acid gel 15% twice a day reduced acne and PIH over 16 weeks.