What are age spots?

Age spots, also called liver spots, are flat, gray, brown or black spots on the skin. 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.

Age spots are usually harmless and don't require medical attention. However, it should be evaluated particularly for dark spots or spots that have changed appearance because these can be signs of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.

What Causes Age Spots?

In short, the sun does. The term ‘age spots’, scientifically coined as lentigines, refers to the brownish spots that, over time appear on your face and body as a result of overexposure to the sun. As we age, our skin is subjected to more and more sun damage. Our skin has what is called ‘melanin pigment’ which absorbs sunlight and helps naturally protect our skin from UV rays. However as we age, our skin's natural ability to defend off UV rays from the sun begins to deteriorate, and as a result, we see the development of age spots.

What is Happening in the Skin?

There are a couple different types of brown spots that people get on their skin. There are solar lentigos (age spots) and freckles (known as ephiledes). These come from the sun and that's because the sun damages the melanocytes, which are the cells in the epidermis (the skin's surface layer) that produce melanin pigment. Most of the cells in our epidermis are skin cells that form the dead skin layer as well as keratin that protects us from the outside world, but one in every tenth or twentieth cell is a melanocyte which produces melanin pigment and transfers this brown pigment to our skin cells to help protect us against the sun.

Does the Occurrence of Age Spots Depend on the Person?

Some people have almost no melanin pigment and our(their) skin does not do a good job of protecting them(us) from the sun. Dark-skinned people do a much better job of protecting themselves from the sun. When the sun attacks light-skinned people, the body does not know how to respond properly. As a result, it can cause abnormal melanin pigment in the form of freckles and brown spots.

Are Age Spots Detrimental to the Body?

Although the age spots are harmless and have no immediate effect on the body, they can be bothersome cosmetically for some people.

Can it be treated?

It can be removed by various available treatments, lime light, fractional laser, and chemical peel at Green Laser Clinic.