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Age Spots on the Face

  • What are they? Age spots are known to be liver spots and they are brown or black spots which mostly appear on the face, hands, shoulders and arms. These age spots are a result of excess of production of melanin or skin pigment. There are no sure reasons which doctors are aware as to why does age spots develop but few of the factors such as tanning beds, exposure of the sun, skin aging and any other forms of UV exposure can all lead to age spots.
  • Risk Factors:  Age Spots are known to commonly occur in adults who are of 50 years of age and above but young individuals can also get affected due to age spots and it can happen when they spend most of their time in the sun. Though anyone can develop age spots but those individuals who are light-colored skin are very much prone to getting this condition. individuals who are of any age, sex, or race can develop age spots. Also those individuals who have a history of too much exposure in the sun or those who have a history of too much use of tanning bed can be at a high risk.
  • Symptoms: Those who have a fair complexion can quickly develop age spots but those who have darker skin cannot be termed as an exception.The age spots are known to range from light brown in color to black and it can be of the same texture as the rest of the skin. They are often painless and mostly occurs on those regions which are frequently exposed to the sun.
  • When to visit the doctor? Many a times age spots are not harmful and also they would not require any medical treatment. The Doctor would be able to evaluate these dark spots or those which have changed their appearance as they could signal.
  • Causes: Prolonged exposure to the harmful ultra violet rays from the sun can also lead to age spots.
  • Treatment: There are a lot of reasons on why it is important to get the age spots treated since it would help in improvement of the overall appearance of the individual, provide healthy skin and also enhance the self-esteem of the individual. Most of the times age spots are not dangerous hence do not pose any kind of health issues but treatment becomes necessary since some people may want to get it removed because it may not make them look good. The doctor can prescribe certain bleaching creams for making them fade away. Also there are several other medical procedures which can be conducted to get the treated but they carry out a risk of side effect.
  • Diagnosis: The diagnosis in terms of age spots would mostly include a visual physical inspection of the skin or the doctor can also carry out a skin biopsy with the help of anesthetics.When the doctor after the physical examination is worried about that dark region which may not look like age spot then they can carry out biopsy wherein they would remove a small piece of the skin and get it examined for presence of cancer or any other abnormalities.
  • Natural Remedies: There are certain natural remedies which can be helpful for reducing these age spots and those are, use of buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sandalwood and castor oil. Onions, dandelions, papaya and aloe vera are few of the other natural methods to remove age spots.
  • Related Conditions: There are multiple other conditions which can look like age spots and has to be ruled out after a thorough examination by the doctor. Those conditions are moles, lentigo maligna and seborrheic keratosis.