How can I get rid of sun spots if I work outside???

Dr. Irwin
June 21, 2010
Dr. I, Your site is Fabulous!!!! You are so helpful...thank you. I am outside (work) during the day. I have sun spots that I am trying to manage. I use the sunscreens (zinclear and colorscience)to protect and I do IPLs in hope of lightening and minimizing the spots. I have been using the obagi blender and retina A once a week. I use it on my last day of work because then I have the tree days out of the sun. Is this enough to make a difference or should I just not use it till the winter. I want to do away with these spots all together!!!! They bother me. I have olive skin and I am 39. Thank you for your help!!

Thank you!  I’m having so much fun doing this.  You’re doing a good basic job I can tell.  Here are some thoughts for fine tuning more.  Do you have a hat with a good brim??  Hats are real skin savers if you work in the sun – even just a baseball hat is better than nothing.  A nice, wide brim is even better.

I’m not sure which Obagi product that is but the Triluma (prescription) is probably going to be better.  It has a little tretinoin (generic for Retin A) in it and you use it just on the spots.  I would stop the Retin A all over for the summer and resume in the fall.   You may eventually need a different laser than the IPL but try a few more times with that in the winter before changing (you may need a fractionated CO2).

Did you know that the Zinclear sunscreen also comes in a tinted version?  The sunscreen layering you are doing is perfect.    Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

Ask me your skincare question!

Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

  • All our content is written and researched by myself.
  • My medical office in Seattle has treated thousands of patients for 15+ years.
  • This site is not affiliated or financially tied to any product, treatment or device.
Ask Me Something
SkinTour Skincare
One of the best investments in your skin is your daily skincare. Why? Because you can prevent many problems with blotchy skin color, lack of glow, texture, some types of acne, and fine lines with good skincare products. You can also correct some of these problems with effective skincare products. Great skincare is often more expensive because quality ingredients are expensive. Some companies spend on research/development which benefits all of us and adds to the cost. Are they worth it? In general - yes! I have handpicked some of what I consider to be the best skin care products, and offer them for sale on SkinTour's shop. This is based on my team and I's testing and research at our clinic. Many of the products are in my own regimen. What could be better than using skin care products a dermatologist uses?!
Browse Shop