![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0e2e6c69f3c6a9654bb28377c11fa398fa-ask-a-beauty-editor.rsquare.w400.jpg\")
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Ask a Beauty Editor<\/a><\/p>\n \n April Long answers all your beauty-related questions with practical advice and zero judgment.<\/p>\n \n Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images\n <\/p>\n You know how they always say your hands give away your age? For me, it\u2019s my forearms. They\u2019re riddled with sunspots \u2014 little brown blotches earned from years of driving without sunscreen. I don\u2019t like them, and despite trying an armada of dark-spot serums promising to fade them, they haven\u2019t budged. Which raises the obvious question: What actually works?<\/p>\n Part of the problem is that \u201cdark spots\u201d is a vague classification that is used to describe several biologically distinct conditions, and they don\u2019t all respond to the same treatments. How hyperpigmentation looks and behaves depends on what part of the body it\u2019s on \u2014 as does how it\u2019s perceived. Research on visual aging has found that uneven facial pigmentation plays a significant role in how old we appear: In one widely cited study<\/a> published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, women with hyperpigmentation on their cheeks were perceived to be up to 20 years older than their actual age.<\/p>\n In other words, uneven tone can age the face faster than wrinkles do. Here\u2019s how to know exactly what you\u2019re dealing with \u2014 and when skin care alone won\u2019t cut it.<\/p>\n Dermatologists generally divide facial dark spots into four categories. \u201cThe most common types are melasma, freckles, sunspots [medically called lentigines], and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation,\u201d says board-certified dermatologist Dan Belkin, M.D.<\/p>\n Melasma \u2014 sometimes called the \u201cmask of pregnancy\u201d \u2014 appears as mottled brown patches, often across the forehead, cheeks, or upper lip. It can be triggered by UV exposure, heat, and hormones, which is why it notoriously appears during pregnancy or while taking oral contraceptives. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) forms after injury or inflammation: acne, eczema, or even minor trauma. These marks are especially common in olive and deeper skin tones, where melanocytes respond more aggressively to inflammation.<\/p>\n Freckles, by contrast, are genetic and seasonal. They darken with sun exposure and fade when UV exposure decreases. Then there are sunspots \u2014 also called lentigines or age spots \u2014 caused by cumulative UV damage over decades. Unlike freckles, they don\u2019t come and go.<\/p>\n Board-certified dermatologist Jenna Queller, M.D., notes that location often reveals cause. \u201cFacial skin is more prone to hormonal and inflammatory pigment changes, which appear as patchy or uneven discoloration,\u201d she says. \u201cWhereas on areas like the chest, arms, and legs, hyperpigmentation is usually UV-driven, so it appears as scattered sun spots.\u201d<\/p>\n Belkin recommends looking for brightening ingredients that interrupt pigment production, such as vitamin C, niacinamide, kojic acid, n-acetylglucosamine, azelaic acid, tranexamic acid, or licorice-root extract. Gentle chemical exfoliants like glycolic, lactic, or mandelic acids can also help by speeding up cell turnover so pigmented cells shed more quickly. Retinol and bakuchiol also work in this way.<\/p>\n New launches to consider include Dr. Althea Melaclear Cream<\/a>, a K-beauty brightener with tranexamic acid and niacinamide; Lancer Skincare Gravity Dark Spot Correcting serum<\/a> with exosomes and alpha-arbutin, which blocks melanin production; Dr. Idriss Major Fade Hyper serum<\/a>, which is powered by alpha arbutin, niacinamide, and kojic acid; and for general brighening, Eighth Day Resurfacing Tonic pads<\/a>, which contain a blend of AHAs and PHAs that whisk away dull skin cells and, over time, even out skin tone.<\/p>\n