Also known as liver spots, age spots are small areas of darkened skin. They mostly occur on areas of the body that have been exposed to the sun. While they are mostly harmless, they can negatively impact confidence.
What’s the difference between freckles and age spots?
Both age spots and freckles present as dark patches of skin. Freckles are inherited and come in a range of colours. Like age spots, they occur when the skin is exposed to the sun.
However, unlike age spots which are caused by sun exposure over many years, they are there to protect the skin against the sun’s UV rays.
The main difference between them is the size. With freckles, they tend to be uniform in size, measuring under 5mm. Age spots, also known as solar lentigo, are larger, measuring up to 2cm in length and can occur anywhere on the body, but most commonly on the forearms, back of the hands, shoulders and face which are routinely exposed to the sun. Once they appear, they will not fade in winter months.
Is sun damage a sign of skin cancer?
Sun damage is not necessarily a sign of skin cancer. However, age spots can sometimes turn cancerous over time. This happens when the age spots are exposed to harmful UV rays. For this reason, it is important to monitor age spots for any changes that occur.
Although most age spots do not require treatment, there are ways to eliminate them if they are causing distress.
ASSOCIATED PROCEDURES: HydraFacial, Microneedling Skin Pen, ClearSkin Laser, iPixel, Harmony SR, Cryogen