Age Spots

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* You have an age spot that bleeds, itches, tingles or changes in size.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

Age spots have little to do with aging. But they have a lot to do with the sun.

"Age spots are really sun-induced freckles," says Robert E. Clark, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology Unit at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. "They commonly appear on the backs of the hands.

You can also see them along the shoulders where someone has had significant sun exposure, and on the face. Age spots are common in older people, but someone who's had significant sun exposure can get them in their late twenties, thirties and forties."

Even a little bit of sun worshipping can cause age spots later in life. Sunlight contains ultraviolet rays that cause suntans and burns. As time goes by, tanning causes more pigment than normal to be deposited in the skin. This leads eventually to flat, brown skin lesions known as age spots. They're also known as liver spots or sun spots.

Symptom Relief

Age spots are harmless. They're benign and they do not go on to become any type of skin cancer or premalignant skin lesion," Dr. Clark says. But because some skin cancers such as melanoma can look like age spots, you should ask your doctor to examine your skin during your annual checkup.

Here are a couple of ways to deal with these telltale signs of excessive sun exposure.

Bleach it out. If your age spots aren't too dark or large, over-the-counter skin-bleaching creams containing hydroquinone could help them fade away, says Marc Bauder, M.D., a family practice physician in Sun City West, Arizona. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions carefully when applying the cream to your skin.

Don't overexpose yourself. The best way to treat and prevent age spots is to cut the time you spend in the sun. Once you have these spots, sunlight can make them appear darker and more prominent, Dr. Bauder says. To prevent that, always wear a sun block that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 on exposed skin. In addition, try to wear a long-sleeved shirt and a broad-brimmed hat whenever you're outdoors.

See your doctor. If you have stubborn age spots that don't fade out with over-the-counter bleaching creams, your doctor has several treatments at his disposal to make age spots disappear, says Dr. Clark. He can freeze them with liquid nitrogen, and after four or five days the spots will peel off. He can also use pulses of laser light to fade the spots.

Ask about a peel. When someone has dozens of age spots, doctors suggest a trichloroacetic acid chemical peel (TCA), says Dr. Clark. The peel, which is applied in a doctor's office, removes the top layer of skin where the spot is located.

"There is a moderately severe burning sensation, but it only lasts for about seven minutes, then the discomfort wears off," Dr. Clark says. "Over the next two to three days you'll have significant swelling and redness of the skin. After four to five days you'll begin shedding the upper layer of skin. But within a week you look like you have a sunburn, and you're ready to get back in society."

Try a slow peel. Retin-A is another option, says Dr. Clark. It's a prescription cream that you can apply directly to the age spots, causing the skin to peel. You'll probably have to put it on a couple of times a day for several months, however, before you'll notice any significant change in your skin, Dr. Clark says.