Flat and smooth, blotchy and symmetrical, left behind by a scratch, or rough like sandpaper — four different marks, four different answers. Texture is the tell, and one of the four is not cosmetic at all.
Know the mark before you treat the mark
| Mark | What it looks and feels like | Driver | Plenishing response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar lentigines ('age spots') | Flat, well-defined, tan to dark brown; smooth. Face, backs of hands, forearms, shoulders | Cumulative UV | Daily SPF first; niacinamide / vitamin C support; cosmetic improvement is slow and partial |
| Melasma | Symmetrical blotchy brown patches — cheeks, forehead, upper lip | Hormones + genetics + UV and visible light + heat | Tinted mineral SPF with iron oxides matters here. It relapses; a peel or laser that clears a lentigo can darken melasma — clinician territory |
| Post-inflammatory marks (PIH) | Flat marks left after a spot, scratch, eczema flare or an over-strong product | Inflammation; stronger and longer in deeper skin tones | Stop the inflammation first, daily SPF, gentle actives. Stronger bleaching is not the first step |
| Actinic keratosis (AK) | Rough, dry, scaly, sandpaper-feel patch; pink, red, tan or skin-coloured | Long UV damage — precancerous | NOT a cosmetic serum case. A dermatologist, promptly. A small proportion progress to squamous cell carcinoma |
What helps, graded
Daily SPF (Strong, as prevention) stops every pigment type from deepening. Niacinamide 2–5% (Moderate-to-Good: 5% reduced hyperpigmented spots in an 8-week randomised split-face trial) and vitamin C (Moderate) support tone. Azelaic acid (Moderate-to-Good) is a well-tolerated option for redness- and pigment-prone skin. Hydroquinone is an effective pigment drug with real risks under misuse — on Plenishing it is a dermatologist topic only; we do not recommend specific hydroquinone products or regimens.
Pairs with: ingredients guide · sun protection guide
Skin tone changes the picture
The four marks above behave differently depending on how much melanin your skin makes. In East and Southeast Asian skin, pigment typically arrives earlier and more prominently than wrinkles, melasma is the central condition, and lasers and peels carry a real risk of darkening the very marks they treat — see Asian Skin After 50. In dark skin, post-inflammatory marks dominate, wrinkles arrive later, tinted sunscreen doubles as a pigment treatment, and the spots that matter most hide on palms, soles and under nails — see Dark Skin After 50. Both pages are framed by how skin behaves, and both grade their evidence the Plenishing way.