5 Quick Ways To Tackle Dark Spots Before and After Your Summer Holiday

Arrived home from holiday and realised you’ve brought some unwanted companions back with you, in the form of dark spots on your face or shoulders? Or perhaps you are about to go away and want to prevent more sun damage from making an appearance later down the line?

Unfortunately, as you may have heard, hyperpigmentation can indeed be tricky to treat (and some ‘hacks’ such as using harsh scrubs or astringents can even make it worse). That means some patience – and a long-term skincare routine – is required here.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can start doing right now to improve the appearance of dark spots, plus ways to keep your skin looking even and glowing all summer long.

Here are five quick wins to bear in mind…

1. Start a targeted skincare regime now

If you already have dark spots, don’t panic and start throwing everything, including the skincare kitchen sink, at them. That’s a recipe for overwhelming your skin and irritation can actually make dark spots worse, especially in Black skin, which is more prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Instead, focus on building a consistent routine that uses one targeted hyperpigmentation product at a time, and, most importantly, actually use it religiously. More specifically, look for ingredients that are known to support a more even skin tone, including vitamin C, retinoids, niacinamide, azelaic acid and pigment-targeting ingredients such as tranexamic acid.

You can also use these ingredients preventatively to keep your skin looking bright and smooth, so consider your chosen serum a summer essential!

3 dark spot skincare picks 

Neostrata Enlighten Illuminating Serum, £50, SHOP NOW

Skinbetter+ Even Tone Correcting Serum, £157, SHOP NOW

Alastin A-luminate Brightening Serum, £159.50, SHOP NOW

2. For stubborn spots, book a skincare consultation 

If your pigmentation is stubborn or has been bothering you for years, it may be worth seeking out some more tailored expert advice rather than relying solely on over-the-counter products.

That’s where a professional skin consultation can be seriously helpful. Not only can you get access to stronger prescription-strength products, which can work faster to reduce sun spots, but the skin expert can help you identify what type of pigmentation you actually have, whether it’s sun damage, melasma, post-inflammatory pigmentation or something else. That’s important as these conditions can often require quite specific treatment plans for the best results.

Our recommendation: Why not book in with Dr Maha Shariff, TTG’s very own skin expert, for a friendly and pressure-free conversation?

3. Try a summer-friendly tweakment

If you are looking for the fastest possible results for dark spots, tweakments can be a great way to improve uneven pigmentation. That’s because they can work much more deeply within your skin, not just on the surface like traditional skincare. However, the timing really matters – especially around your summer holidays.

That’s because some treatments, such as deep peels and certain lasers, can make skin more sensitive to sunlight, so if you have them too close to a sunny holiday (or even spend too much time outdoors during the UK heatwave afterwards), you could actually risk making your dark spots worse rather than better post-treatment.

For that reason, always discuss your holiday plans with your practitioner, and don’t worry about missing out on the ‘best treatment!’ There’s a fast-growing category of sun-safe yet tone-smoothing treatments that can still get you really great results. In fact, you can read all about Team TTG’s absolute favourites in our best treatments for pigmentation round-up.

4. Wear sunscreen every single day  

The most effective way to prevent dark spots from becoming darker – or forming in the first place – is also the simplest: wear sunscreen daily.

We probably don’t have to tell you that UV exposure is one of the biggest triggers for pigmentation, and even brief periods outside can contribute to uneven skin tone. So, if you want a really quick win when it comes to dark spots, remember a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher should be part of your everyday routine — not just something you reach for on sunny holidays.

3 dark spot sunscreen picks  

Heliocare 360 Fluid Cream SPF 50+, £23, SHOP NOW

NeoStrata Sheer Physical Protection SPF50, £36, SHOP NOW

Heliocare 360 Oil-Free SPF50 Gel, £23, SHOP NOW

5. Get a mole check

Finally, a word of warning: sometimes a dark spot is not just a cosmetic annoyance. Some changes in your skin tone could be an indication of melanoma, aka skin cancer, and they really need to be seen by a doctor.

Look out for dark patches that seem to have changed in size, shape, colour or texture, as well as spots that itch, bleed or don’t heal. You may want to book in for a post-summer mole check to give you complete peace of mind, too. Both Alice and Becki like to do so, and you can hear about their mole mapping experiences here.