"It also hydrates and plumps up collagen making the skin appear more luminous." Go hard on it.

Retinol

You'll also need to have an exfoliant in your routine. We're talking chemical exfoliants, like retinol (can be in the form of a serum or cream - whatever works).

"Retinol (vitamin A) helps to improve cellular turnover, so that melanin patches are reduced in colour and some pigment may also be permanently shed too," said Dr D'Anna.

If retinol doesn't agree with your skin at this stage, try lactic acid or glycolic acid (again - can be used in a cleanser, toner, serum etc). These will do the job, too.

SPF

Okay. This is less of an option, and more of awe're-telling-you-to-do-it thing. Even Dr D'Anna agreed: "SPF is mandatory in reducing the darkening of the spots. Without the sun, the amount of melanin produced is very low."

"Prevention is much better than treatment. So, wear SPF every day, and cover your arms/hands and head/face with a good hat or long sleeves," added Dr D'Anna.

Prescription skincare

If all else fails on the skincare front - see your doctor for other topicaloptions.

"There are some pharmaceuticals that may be prescribed by your doctor too to help reduce the pigmentation," said Dr D'Anna. "This needs to be done under medical guidance and care to ensure that the skin has been examined and then diagnosed correctly."

Maybe. But you need to check in with a dermatologist or skin specialist first to make sure your skin type can be safely treated.

Dr D'Anna said, "The best treatment will vary according to your skin, the level of pigmentation and other skin considerations. It is best to get the advice of a qualified dermal therapist before proceeding."

Here are some professional treatments that can help reduce these melanin pigmentation patches:

Laser or IPL

These are good non-invasive solutions that will usually give you significant results after a course of treatments.

"A combination of topical treatments, light and laser therapies work best," said Dr Gunatheesa. "Broad-based light therapy, fractional ablative lasers will fade or remove existing liver spots."

Okay. How does that work?

"Laser or IPL also reduce the amount of colour in the skin," said Dr D'Anna. "The light energy heats the damaged and pigmented patches, so that the pigment is disrupted and lightened over a series of sessions."

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Here's how to treat those brown spots on your face, chest and hands. - Mamamia