Age spots (also called liver spots) can appear anywhere on the body. Protection of your skin is very important to avoid getting. They are flat and brown in color and are mostly likely to appear on the face, neck and on the hands. The majority of the time age spots are harmless, but they could signify an underlying condition. Always check with your doctor for the proper diagnosis of any skin related condition.
Age Spots: Causes & Risk Factors
Some common causes of age spots are overexposure to the sun, the use of tanning beds or tanning lamps, and growing older. When you are exposed to excessive amounts of ultraviolet light, it speeds up the production of melanin. Melanin is what makes the age sots appear on your body. Your chance of developing age spots increases if you have fair skin, you are light colored skin, you go to tanning beds, you have a history of sunburns, you do not wear sunscreen when out in the sun.
Age Spots: Signs of Damage to the Skin
If you notice any of these signs to your skin, then it is a good possibility that you have sun damage. To much sun damage will eventually cause you to develop wrinkles, rough dry skin, red veins on your cheeks, nose, and ears, and your skin may look thinner and translucent.
Age Spots: Symptoms
Age spots can show up in a variety of sizes on the skin. Some of them may be really small like a freckle, and some of them will come together making them look a lot larger than what they are. The age spots can show up as an increased pigmentation on your skin that are flat and oval in shape, and they are usually brown, black or gray in color. They also occur where you have had the most sun exposure. An example of this would be the back of your hands, on your shoulders, on the top of your feet, and on the upper part of your back.
Age Spots: Appearance
Age spots can have an ugly appearance, but they are usually harmless and most of the time do not require any medical intervention. But you should keep in mind that if the age spot is very dark in color, it grows rapidly in size, the border of the age spot is irregular in shape, or has a variety of colors on it, then you may want to have your health care provider analyze the appearance of it. Only they will be able to tell you if there is another underlying medical condition causing a problem.
There are other conditions that are very similar to liver spots. Some of these are called moles, seborrheic keratoses, and lentigo maligna. If you suspect something other than a liver spot on your skin, then make sure you get an appointment with your health care provider.
Your health care provider may give you some options to help remove the age spots or lighten them so they are not as noticeable. Those options can include treatments such as taking medications, the use of laser therapy, freezing, dermabrasion, or a chemical peel. But remember each of these options may have some side effects with treatment.
Your best option to reduce your chance of getting an age spot is to use sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15 or higher, avoiding the sun between the hottest hours of the day (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and wearing protective clothing. Do not hesitate to see your doctor for any change in your normal skin appearance. Only your doctor will be able to tell you if your signs & symptoms are something other than an age spot.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/age-spots/DS00912
