Age spots, sun spots, liver spots - whatever you like to call them, patches of darker pigmentation on the face, chest and hands cause our readers great distress.  (More so than wrinkles, in many cases:  we're all going to get lines, but women seem to feel singled out for especially unfair treatment when these marks appear on the complexion.) Our response is always to advise sun protection as a very important part of an age spot treatment programme:  by preventing UV from reaching the skin, you'll stop these marks from getting darker, and others from appearing.

So we're very much liking this new introduction from cosmeceutical brand SkinCeuticals - because it features a clever nozzle, for targeted application of a good level of SPF (30), together with UVA protection.  Simply point, squeeze, and tap into skin.  It's hydrating and lightweight, so:  no 'chalk-face', even when applied as an all-over veil.  At the same time, SkinCeuticals tell us it features a HyperBright Complex, to target the age spots themselves, over a longer period of time.  (We'll be putting this through its paces with our Beauty Bible testers, but we're optimistic that with this built-in sun protection, it could be effective.)

We know women will try everything under the sun to tackle this problem.

But trust us:  keeping UV off those age spots is the one thing under the sun that really, really works.

NB  SkinCeuticals prefer their products whenever possible to be provided through a skin consultation with an expert - click here for their stockists - but this is also available on-line: UK readers find SkinCeuticals Brightening UV Defense SPF30 at www.dianenivern.com/£35 for 30 ml - click here to find it