Skin Care In Your 40s 1.0

Problem: Blotchy skin and dark spots:

A blotchy appearance stems from a combination of skin type and sun exposure. The lighter your skin, the more freckling, broken blood vessels,and blotchiness youre likely to experience as you age. If you were once prone to acne, its likely that the dark red spots are the remnants of past blemishes.

Over-the-counter products that contain lightening ingredients such as hydroquinone can help fade dark spots on skin of every shade. You may also want to consider microdermabrasion in which tiny aluminium oxide crystals are blown onto skin and then vacuumed off along with dead cells. Microdermabrasions exfoliating action can also help bleaching agents penetrate more effectively. But if your skin is extremely ruddy or blothcy, a chemical peel performed in a doctors office is a better bet. A solution containing an AHA (usually glycolic acid) or trichloroacetic acid is applied to skin, left on a few minutes, and followed by a neutralizing solution. The acid lifts off dead cells, revealing new skin underneath. These "lunchtime peels" - so called because they take only about an hour - cause little or no redness and irritation, though your face may be flaky the following week.