1. What causes dark spots? Dark spots: a.k.a. sun spots, liver spots, age spots. They happen when the (very complicated) mechanism that should give you a sun tan, goes wrong. Making a pigment like melanin under the influence of the sun makes sense: if you are going to be in the sun, making a pigment that protects the skin from further damage is a good solution. Next time you are in the sun there will be less damage produced by the high energy rays because the pigments in the skin will give some sun protection. The process to make the pigment and accumulate it in the skin is very complex … Continue reading What do you want to know about sun spots? Questions and answers.