Age spots (liver spots)
Definition:
.jpg "Age spots (liver spots)")
Age spots — also called liver spots and solar lentigines — are flat gray, brown or black spots. They vary in size and usually appear on the face, hands, shoulders and arms — areas most exposed to the sun. Though age spots are very common in adults older than age 40, they can affect younger people as well.
True age spots are harmless and don't need treatment, but they can look like cancerous growths. For cosmetic reasons, age spots can be lightened with skin-bleaching products or removed. However, preventing age spots — by avoiding the sun and using sunscreen — may be the easiest way to maintain your skin's youthful appearance and to avoid these dark skin spots.
Symptoms:
Age spots typically develop in people with a fair complexion, but they can be seen in those with darker skin. Age spots:
When to see a doctor
You may not like the way they look, but age spots are usually harmless and don't require medical care. However, your doctor should evaluate spots that are dark or have changed in appearance, because these changes can be signs of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.
It's best to have any new skin changes evaluated by a doctor, especially if a spot or lesion:
Causes:
Age spots are caused primarily by years of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. The use of commercial tanning lamps and tanning beds can also contribute to the development of age spots.
The pigment in the upper layer of skin (epidermis) that gives your skin its normal color is called melanin. UV light accelerates the production of melanin, creating a tan that helps protect deeper layers of skin from UV rays.
On areas of the skin that have years of frequent and prolonged sun exposure, age spots appear when melanin becomes "clumped" or is produced in particularly high concentrations. In addition to sun exposure, simply becoming older can cause the extra production of melanin.
Your genetic makeup may also play a role in how susceptible you are to the development of age spots.
Treatments and drugs:
If you're unhappy with the appearance of age spots, treatments are available to lighten or remove them. Since the pigment is located at the base of the epidermis — the topmost layer of skin — any treatments meant to lighten the age spots must penetrate this layer of skin.
Age spot treatments include:
Definition:
Age spots — also called liver spots and solar lentigines — are flat gray, brown or black spots. They vary in size and usually appear on the face, hands, shoulders and arms — areas most exposed to the sun. Though age spots are very common in adults older than age 40, they can affect younger people as well.
True age spots are harmless and don't need treatment, but they can look like cancerous growths. For cosmetic reasons, age spots can be lightened with skin-bleaching products or removed. However, preventing age spots — by avoiding the sun and using sunscreen — may be the easiest way to maintain your skin's youthful appearance and to avoid these dark skin spots.
Symptoms:
Age spots typically develop in people with a fair complexion, but they can be seen in those with darker skin. Age spots:
- Are flat, oval areas of increased pigmentation
- Are usually brown, black or gray
- Occur on skin that has had the most sun exposure over the years, such as the backs of hands, tops of feet, face, shoulders and upper back
When to see a doctor
You may not like the way they look, but age spots are usually harmless and don't require medical care. However, your doctor should evaluate spots that are dark or have changed in appearance, because these changes can be signs of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.
It's best to have any new skin changes evaluated by a doctor, especially if a spot or lesion:
- Is darkly pigmented
- Is rapidly increasing in size
- Has an irregular border
- Has an unusual combination of colors
- Is accompanied by itching, redness, tenderness or bleeding
Causes:
Age spots are caused primarily by years of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. The use of commercial tanning lamps and tanning beds can also contribute to the development of age spots.
The pigment in the upper layer of skin (epidermis) that gives your skin its normal color is called melanin. UV light accelerates the production of melanin, creating a tan that helps protect deeper layers of skin from UV rays.
On areas of the skin that have years of frequent and prolonged sun exposure, age spots appear when melanin becomes "clumped" or is produced in particularly high concentrations. In addition to sun exposure, simply becoming older can cause the extra production of melanin.
Your genetic makeup may also play a role in how susceptible you are to the development of age spots.
Treatments and drugs:
If you're unhappy with the appearance of age spots, treatments are available to lighten or remove them. Since the pigment is located at the base of the epidermis — the topmost layer of skin — any treatments meant to lighten the age spots must penetrate this layer of skin.
Age spot treatments include:
- Medications. Prescription bleaching creams
(hydroquinone) used alone or with retinoids (tretinoin) and a mild
steroid may gradually fade the spots over several months. Sun protection
with a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of
30 is strongly advised if you use medication treatments. The treatments
may result in temporary itching, redness, burning or dryness.
- Laser therapy. Laser therapy destroys
melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) without damaging the skin's
surface. Treatments with a laser typically require several sessions.
After treatment, age spots fade gradually over several weeks or months.
Laser therapy has few side effects, but it may result in slight
discoloration of the skin.
- Freezing (cryotherapy). This procedure involves
applying liquid nitrogen or another freezing agent to the age spots to
destroy the extra pigment. As the area heals, the skin appears lighter.
Freezing is typically used on a single age spot or a small grouping of
age spots. The treatment may temporarily irritate the skin and poses a
slight risk of permanent scarring or discoloration.
- Dermabrasion. This procedure consists of sanding
down (planing) the surface layer of your skin with a rapidly rotating
brush. This procedure removes the skin surface, and a new layer of skin
grows in its place. Temporary redness and scab formation can result from
this treatment
. - Chemical peel. A chemical peel involves applying an acid, which burns the outer layer of your skin, to the age spots. As your skin peels, new skin forms to take its place. Several treatments may be necessary before you notice any results. Sun protection is strongly advised following this treatment. Temporary irritation is likely, and there's a slight risk of discoloration.
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