Ask any teenage girl to tell you about her biggest aging concerns and you might imagine that laughter lines, crows' feet and other wrinkles will probably be top of the list. In fact, a recent IPOS survey by Caudalie has revealed that once we start growing up, our priorities change - more women they surveyed were concerned about dark spots than they were about wrinkles.
The study, which was carried out in five different European countries, gauged women's most pressing concerns about their faces over time, and 62% said dark spots bothered them the most, just being beaten out to the top spot by facial and body firmness at 68% and 71% respectively.
The group of 2,500 women surveyed were aged from twenty to sixty and primarily attributed their bothersome dark spots to sun exposure, but also due to acne scarring and pregnancy. Dark spots, or pigmentation, are a very common side effect of prolonged sun exposure, especially in tropical sun or after using sunbeds.
The spots appear when the body produces too much melanin, and they can be pretty stubborn to shift. But, as anyone who's recently had a baby can tell you, sometimes, hormones can give you dark spots that two weeks in the Maldives didn't because pregnancy hormones can cause the body to produce more melanin, leading to pigmentation.
If your dark spots bother you, help is at hand. Many topcial, over-the-counter treatments can be effective in lessening the appearance of dark spots. Vitamin C is renowned for its brightening properties, while Caudalie's Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, £45.00 contains their patented Viniferine, which is highly effective in the treatment of sunspots, acne marks, scars and damage.
Be sure to wear plenty of high factor sunscreen to prevent the spot from worsening, and consider a treatment containing retional, the Vitamin A derirative, but always apply at night as it temporarily makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. Laser is an option for lifting stubborn spots, but as it's costly and not always effective, so do remember that prevention is definitely better than the cure!