Eliot Mostow, M.D.
Todd Minars, M.D.
Nelson Lee Novick, M.D.Age spots (also referred to as “sun spots” or “liver spots”) are formally called “lentigines.” They are small, flat, round spots on the skin that begin to appear later in life in sun-exposed areas. They are particularly common on the face, neck, arms, and backs of the hands, usually sparing the knuckles. A single spot is referred to as a lentigo.
Age spots are thought to be caused by years of sunlight exposure.
Lentigines are benign, but some people seek treatment to improve their appearance. There are several possible treatments for lentigines, including cryotherapy, chemical peels, and laser therapy.
Medications, such as hydroquinone or Solage, are called bleaching agents and can be applied to the skin to make lentigines fade. Although they will not get rid of the lesion completely, they can make it less visible.
Laser Treatment of Age Spots
Some people call the laser treatment of brown spots on the face a "photofacial." I prefer not to use this term because it means different things to different people. But whatever term you choose to use, the process of removing age spots with a laser is relatively simple.
How Lasers Work
A laser is a light source that targets color. Each laser uses a different wavelength of light to target a specific color target. For instance, some lasers treat red targets like blood vessels. And some lasers treat brown targets like age spots. If a brown age spot is surrounded by white skin, the light energy will be absorbed by the brown age spot and reflected by the white skin, and therefore only the brown age spot will be heated up and selectively destroyed.
Learn more about Age Spots from Minars Dermatology in Hollywood, Florida.
Sculpting Away Moles, Growths, & Age Spots Without Stitches
As you age, your skin can become host to a wide variety of cosmetically displeasing, flesh-colored or pigmented bumps and lumps. Which ones develop, when they do, how quickly they appear, and how extensively they cover the canvass of your skin are determined by a combination of your genes and how much sun exposure you have gotten over the years. Often, these often unsightly and unwanted lesions are moles.
Lesions is doctor lingo for any spot or lump in the skin that causes concern or differs from normal skin. Moles, or nevi, are dark, oval-shaped "beauty marks" or "birth marks." Other types of cosmetically troublesome growths include "overgrown oil glands," little orange-yellow bumps known as sebaceous hyperplasia, warty-looking, skin-toned or brownish age spots called seborrheic keratoses, and skin tags, fleshy growths that hang from tiny, narrow stalks.
If you've always wanted to have these things removed, but hesitated because of the fear of stitches, scarring, or the expense of surgery, the quick and simple, minimially invasive, no-stitches-required techniques for age spots, moles, and growths may be just right for you.
Learn more about the treatment of age spots from Nelson Lee Novick of New York City.
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