How to Get Rid of Sun Spots After Beach Season

Summer in Myrtle Beach is absolutely worth it. The beaches, the food, the sunsets off the Murrells Inlet boardwalk.

Your skin, however, keeps score. By September, many Grand Strand residents find themselves looking at a collection of new brown spots on their face, shoulders, and chest that weren't quite so visible in April.

These solar lentigines (the clinical name for sun spots) are one of the most common concerns we see post-summer, and they respond well to treatment. They are not permanent, and they are not something you need to cover with makeup forever.

What Sun Spots Actually Are

Sun spots form when UV radiation overstimulates melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the skin. In response to UV exposure, melanocytes produce excess melanin as a protective mechanism.

When melanin production is concentrated in clusters rather than evenly distributed, you get visible dark spots. The more cumulative UV exposure over time, the more pronounced this effect becomes.

Research in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology has characterized solar lentigines as a biomarker of cumulative UV exposure and photoaged skin, distinct from freckles (which are genetic) in that they are largely preventable and respond well to targeted treatments.

This distinction matters because it tells you how to approach treatment: the goal is to selectively destroy or exfoliate the concentrated melanin without disrupting the surrounding normal-pigment skin.

IPL and BBL: The Most Targeted Approach

IPL photofacial and BBL Hero treatments use filtered light energy to selectively target melanin in pigmented spots. The light is absorbed by the concentrated melanin, converted to heat, and the pigmented cells are disrupted.

Over the following 1 to 2 weeks, the spots darken (this is normal and expected), then flake away as the skin turns over, revealing clearer tone beneath.

A series of three IPL or BBL sessions spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart produces significant clearance of solar lentigines in most patients. BBL Hero, BroadBand Light technology from Sciton, operates at faster pulse rates and has published long-term data showing not just cosmetic improvement but measurable changes in gene expression patterns associated with younger skin.

Both treatments work best when UV exposure is lower, which makes fall and winter ideal timing. Starting a series in September or October means you are getting treatments in optimal conditions and your cleared skin goes into spring with full protection from the sun.

Chemical Peels: Resurfacing the Pigmented Layers

A chemical peel addresses sun spots differently. Rather than targeting melanin with light energy, peeling agents accelerate the turnover of pigmented epidermal cells.

Glycolic acid, trichloroacetic acid (TCA), and mandelic acid are all commonly used for photodamage and hyperpigmentation.

Medium-depth TCA peels penetrate to the papillary dermis and are particularly effective for more established sun spots that sit deeper in the epidermis. They require 5 to 7 days of visible peeling but produce a meaningful improvement in overall skin tone, not just isolated spots.

Chemical peels also stimulate collagen remodeling in the dermis, which addresses the texture and roughness that often accompanies significant photodamage. For patients dealing with both pigmentation and texture issues, a peel can address both simultaneously in a way that IPL alone cannot.

Microneedling for Stubborn or Deep Pigmentation

Microneedling is less commonly discussed in the context of sun spots, but it plays a useful role for pigmentation that is embedded deeper in the dermis or that has proven resistant to surface treatments. By stimulating new cell turnover from the dermis upward and enhancing the penetration of topical brightening serums (vitamin C, tranexamic acid, kojic acid), microneedling can help shift persistent pigmentation that has not fully responded to light-based treatments alone.

What Not to Try (And Why OTC Products Disappoint)

Over-the-counter treatments for sun spots contain active ingredients that inhibit tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for melanin production. Niacinamide, kojic acid, arbutin, and vitamin C all have documented efficacy in clinical settings.

The limitation is penetration and concentration. OTC formulations are regulated to safe concentrations that are often too low to meaningfully affect established solar lentigines.

They are excellent for prevention and for maintaining results after professional treatments, but they are not going to clear a decade's worth of sun spots on their own.

Any OTC skin-lightening product that promises dramatic spot removal in days is making a claim that the ingredient concentrations cannot support. Use these products as a daily maintenance strategy, not as the primary treatment for existing spots.