The body of an ageing person changes different ways, like losing physical strength, changing skin tone, and sometimes, unsightly blemishes – commonly called age spots – can appear on the face and on the back of the hands. The spots – also called lentigines, lentigos or liver spots – are sharply defined, rounded, brown or black, flat patches of skin. According to Claire Muhorakeye, a dermatologist in Kacyiru, age spots appear when melanin becomes clumped or is produced in high concentrations. They vary in size and usually appear on areas mostly exposed to the sun such as face, neck, arms and back. She adds that although age spots are especially common in adults older than 45, young people, especially with light skin tone, develop them when they spend too much time in the sun, increased by consumption of unsaturated fats, lack of vitamin E deficiency and high rates of stress. Muhorakeye says in most cases, these spots do not need special treatment, just improve skin care routine by applying sunscreen daily on top of moisturiser and try to avoid too much sun. However, there is a time when one needs to be conscious about these spots. “Have your doctor evaluate your age spots that are in black colour or keep changing in appearance and size because, it can indicate a serious form of skin cancer,” Muhorakeye says. According to Healthline, during a visual inspection, your doctor will assess the colour, size, and shape to determine whether your mark really is an age spot. They might also feel the spot to determine whether it has a raised texture or the same texture as your surrounding skin. If your dermatologists believe the dark area may be something other than an age spot, they’ll typically suggest a biopsy, an examination of tissue removed from a living body and sent to a lab, to discover if there is no cancer detected, or extent of a disease. Medical procedures for age spots include; intense pulsed light treatment—treatment emits light waves that pass through the skin and target melanin to destroy or break up age spots. Healthline reports that you might experience some redness or swelling after the treatment, but you can return to your regular activities right away. Other potential side effects include bruising, blistering, skin colour changes, or infection. Experts include chemical peels as another method to treat age spots, a process that removes the outer layer of your skin, to let new skin grow in its place. However, this may take several months of redness to the skin, but it only takes four days to two weeks of recovery. Deep chemical peel can, in some cases, damage your heart, liver or kidneys. Common side effects of this method include redness, dryness, stinging and mild swelling.
