Age Spots Are NOT Normal Aging

Dr. Eric Berg DC| 00:09:09|Feb 28, 2026
Chapters7
Aims to debunk the idea that aging alone causes spots, explaining the internal mechanism behind age spots and promising an inside-out approach to getting rid of them.

Dr. Berg explains aging spots are caused by uneven melanin due to glutathione imbalance and offers internal and topical fixes, emphasizing selenium, protein, copper/zinc balance, and vitamin C.

Summary

Dr. Eric Berg argues that age spots are not an inevitable part of aging but a result of uneven melanin production driven by glutathione deficiency and oxidative stress. He explains melanin as a protective pigment whose production becomes unbalanced when glutathione is low. The video breaks down how aging spots form, the role of selenium and dietary factors (like Brazil nuts) in boosting glutathione, and why protein quality matters for glutathione synthesis. Berg also highlights copper and zinc balance as a regulator of melanin, and how menopause and chronic stress can increase demand for glutathione. He offers two paths to improvement: a long-term internal approach (nutrients, minerals, and lifestyle) and a faster topical option like vitamin C serum. While acknowledging potential side effects of some skin treatments, he emphasizes addressing the root cause to prevent recurrence, with a note on safe sun understanding. The piece ends by pointing viewers to additional sun-health information for context.

Key Takeaways

  • Glutathione deficiency and oxidative stress disrupt even melanin production, leading to localized dark patches (age spots).
  • selenium intake is often low due to soil depletion and glyphosate use, and two Brazil nuts daily can help replenish it, supporting glutathione synthesis.
  • High-quality animal proteins, eggs, fish, and collagen are important for glutathione production, whereas plant proteins may be less effective for this purpose.
  • Copper and zinc balance regulate melanin production; an imbalance (too much copper or too little zinc) can worsen hyperpigmentation, so a balanced trace mineral approach is recommended.
  • Estrogen during menopause increases the antioxidant demand and may amplify aging spots, linking hormonal status to glutathione needs.
  • Chronic stress, poor sleep, and refined carbohydrates deplete glutathione, making lifestyle changes a key part of the solution.
  • Topical vitamin C serums can help regulate glutathione and may provide faster improvement on the skin, but should be paired with internal strategies for lasting results.

Who Is This For?

Essential viewing for viewers seeking to understand the medical basis of hyperpigmentation and looking for both long-term health strategies and quick topical options, with a focus on natural compounds and minerals.

Notable Quotes

"Aging spots are not normal aging. We've been lied to about aging spots."
Dr. Berg sets the premise that age spots have a distinct mechanism, not just aging.
"The regulator in that cell is broken. So now you have that. There's something called oxidative stress."
Explains the biochemical basis: uneven melanin production due to oxidative stress.
"Glutathione has two big purposes. number one to regulate melanin and it also generally helps you reduce this oxidation."
Key role of glutathione in both pigment control and antioxidant defense.
"If you don't have enough of this thing right here, glutathione, you cannot regulate this melanin."
Links glutathione levels directly to pigmentation control.
"Two Brazil nuts a day, you will get enough selenium."
Practical dietary tip for boosting selenium and glutathione support.

Questions This Video Answers

  • How does glutathione influence melanin production and aging spots?
  • Can selenium deficiency really impact skin pigmentation and how much do I need daily?
  • Which foods best support glutathione synthesis for skin health?
  • What is the role of copper and zinc balance in hyperpigmentation?
  • Is vitamin C serum effective for age spots and how should I use it with internal strategies?
DermatologyHyperpigmentationGlutathioneMelaninSeleniumBrazil nutsCopper and zinc balanceEstrogen and menopauseOxidative stressVitamin C serum
Full Transcript
Aging spots are not normal aging. We've been lied to about aging spots. We're told that age is what causes them or we've been told that the sun causes aging spots. Well, I have a question. How come not everyone that goes out in the sun gets them? And how come not everyone that is getting older has them? I know a lot of younger people that get them. So, why is that? I'm going to show you the exact mechanism of why you might have them and exactly what to do to get rid of them. and not by just superficially getting rid of them externally on the skin, but how to get rid of them from the inside out. I'm going to show you both methods. If you look down on your hands or even in the mirror, you might see these little brown pigment sections or clusters. They call that hyperpigmentation, and it wasn't there several years ago, but now all of a sudden, it just appeared. And if you Google this, they're going to tell you what creams or peels or lasers or medications to use. They're not going to reveal what's deeper, what causes these things. And then if you use the cream or the laser or the medication, it keeps coming back. So, you have to keep using it. There's side effects from certain medications and creams and lasers. Some of the medications make it worse. So, I'm going to make this really simple. I'm going to show you what's going on. You have in your skin melanin. Okay? Melanin is a pigment. It comes from a certain cell called a melanocy. And this pigment basically is a protective umbrella to protect you against certain things from the sun like ultraviolet light, free radicals. So, it's there to protect you. And this is why when you're out in the sun, you eventually get a sun tan or your skin becomes darker because it adapts and it's protecting you. And so, when you see this darker patch on your skin, realize that is a protective mechanism. So the more you understand what this is, the more the solution is going to become obvious. The problem is not melanin. The problem is uneven melanin production. It's not evened out through the skin. It's only in certain spots. So these little factories that produce melanin are producing them unevenly. So the regulator in that cell is broken. So now you have that. There's something called oxidative stress. Let me just simply explain what that is. That's an imbalance where you have too much oxidation. You can look at oxidation as like something that's rusting out or corroding versus the protective antioxidants. So when we have this imbalance, then we get something called excessive oxidative stress. And the master system that controls that is this right here, glutathione. Glutathione has two big purposes. number one to regulate melanin and it also generally helps you reduce this oxidation. So think about glutathione as the circuit breaker that has blown a circuit if you have these darkened spots on your skin with melanin. So without enough glutathione, you're going to get uneven melanin production. So this next part is very important. If you don't have enough of this thing right here, glutathione, you cannot regulate this melanin. So now what's going to happen next is your body has to adapt to that. How does it adapt to that? It actually makes more melanin. Melanin is really an antioxidant if you think about it. And so the reason why you're getting these spots is you're getting too much of this, but it's just uneven. That's the simplicity of what's happening. Combination of not enough this and too much of this that's unregulated. So, a lot of people ask me, "What supplements do I recommend?" Now, of course, I'm not biased of my own high-quality supplement line, but if you go to Amazon and type Dr. Berg supplements, you'll find more information, but the bigger question is, why does this glutathione drop? Now, it is true that as you age, glutathione does decrease. Not necessarily because you're getting older, but because other things that are supposed to keep this in check are kind of going down. Now, what are those things? selenium. And so many people are deficient in selenium and they don't even realize it. Even when you go to get a blood test, most of the selenium is not in your blood. You have to do a specialized test to pick this up. Selenium is also involved in your immune system. Selenium is also key for the thyroid, converting the inactive T4 to T3. Selenium is also important protecting against autoimmune diseases, especially Hashimoto's, which is a thyroid problem. Selenium is nearly always deficient in AIDS patients because it's so important in the immune system. But selenium is the precursor to this one right here. Our soils have been depleted of selenium because of the farming practices. We only put three minerals back in the soil. Also, we're spraying a lot of our fields with something called glyphosate, which also depletes selenium as well. That's just one of the many factors. But if you consume just two Brazil nuts a day, you will get enough selenium. Selenium is also in shellfish. It's definitely in oysters. The next thing that is really needed to make more glutathione is high quality protein. And a lot of people have switched from doing animal protein to plant protein, which is going to create a problem for glutathione. You want to go back to more high quality animal meats, eggs, fish, and also collagen. You don't really get as much collagen in regular steak or hamburger because people want like tender beef, things like that. So unless you're having the skin on the chicken or skin on the fish, you really need to substitute some type of collagen powder in your coffee or as a supplement, not just to build up your joints and connective tissue, but also to help you with glutathione. Also, if a female is going through menopause, she's going to have a problem with estrogen. This can also trigger the body to increase the demand for more glutathione because estrogen also acts as an antioxidant. In fact, the reason why women live to be older than men is because they have more of this estrogen which acts as a protective thing over your DNA and other things. This is why you see women after menopause getting more of these aging spots when again it's not just aging. This is the mechanism right here. Chronic stress will also deplete your glutathione. Glutathione is needed more when you go through stress. And I'm not just talking about mental stress. I'm talking about physical stress, more exercise that you're doing combined with less sleep. Also, toxicity in your body, chronic consumption of carbohydrates, snacking, refined foods, junk foods, all of that just builds this up right here and depletes this right here. The other little piece of the puzzle is copper. Now, I'm going to make this really simple. Copper is another trace mineral that helps you make melanin. And you can have a problem with melanin if you have too much copper or actually not enough copper. And one regulating factor of copper is zinc. So zinc and copper work together. So when people are either deficient in zinc, they might have too much copper, or they have too much zinc, they might not have enough copper. So in other words, taking more zinc many times will help the ratio of copper help this right here. And of course, if you had a trace mineral that had both, that can also support this problem as well because then you'll have the right ratios. So this is ultimately what you want to do to fix this problem. So then you can correct this problem and this problem and eventually get rid of these aging spots. It could take 30 days to six weeks because these dark spots are kind of in a certain layer of your skin that has to be replaced. But you'll see within 1 month to 6 weeks things will dramatically start improving. Now the question is what can you do in the meantime? Is there anything you can do? Yes, there is. There's a lot of things topically you can put on your face. Some of them have side effects. I'm not going to talk about those. One of the best things I would recommend is just a topical serum. Vitamin C. You can get a high quality vitamin C serum anywhere and you would just put that on your skin because vitamin C does help regulate glutathione and it doesn't seem to have any side effects that I've ever heard of. So I gave you two solutions. One is more of a corrective which takes more time and another is a topical situation which will happen faster. But I don't want you just to do the topical without doing this as well because it's going to keep coming back. Since this whole topic is related to pigment and pigment adapts to the sun, there is some crucial very important information on the benefit and the health of sun so that way you don't make the mistake of avoiding the sun. And for that information, you should watch this video right here. Check it out.

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