Age spots are well-named because they don’t appear until you’re older, after many years of exposure to sunlight. These unattractive tan-brown spots are primarily a cosmetic concern that you can eliminate at Northstar Dermatology. The board-certified dermatologists offer several effective treatments to lighten or eliminate your existing sun spots. They also create a plan to help you prevent future sun damage. To learn more about age spot treatments, call the office or schedule an appointment online today.Â
Age spots, also called liver spots or solar lentigines, are brown and tan spots that develop on your skin over years of exposure to UV light, whether from the sun or a tanning bed. These spots often appear on your face and hands, but they can develop anywhere on your body.
Your skin naturally contains a pigment called melanin that gives your skin its color. When you’re exposed to UV light, skin produces extra melanin, which causes tanning. Age spots develop when a clump of melanin cells darken more quickly than the rest of your skin.
Age spots don’t cause skin cancer and they don’t increase your risk. However, you could have a brown spot that’s something other than an age spot. If it changes in color or shape, gets larger, or starts bleeding, it’s time to have it evaluated at Northstar Dermatology. These changes are signs of skin cancer.
Protecting your skin from sunlight won’t improve any existing age spots. However, it will prevent new spots from developing.
Since age spots aren’t cancerous, they’re a cosmetic problem rather than a medical condition requiring treatment. But if you want to eliminate age spots to improve your appearance, Northstar Dermatology offers several treatment options:
Topical Medications
Daily application of a prescription whitening cream will gradually reduce the appearance of age spots.
Laser Treatment
Specialized lasers use heat that’s only absorbed by the brown pigment. As a result, Northstar Dermatology can treat spots without harming the surrounding skin. As the pigments absorb the laser’s heat, they break down. Your body then clears the waste away, permanently removing your age spots.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion uses a rotating brush to gently sand away the outer layer of your skin. As new skin grows in, the age spot gradually diminishes.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels also remove the outer layers of your skin. Northstar Dermatology customizes your chemical peel to remove one layer or multiples layers of skin to eliminate age spots.
If you want to treat your age spots, call Northstar Dermatology or schedule an appointment online today.
