Lentigines (age spots) and ephelides (freckles) are tan, brown or black spots that appear over time on sun exposed areas of skin. Age Spots may occur to the people at any age. Age Spots are harmless and do not need to be treated unless they are changing or getting bigger than the surrounding age spots. These spots are common on the backs of the hand, face and legs.
Causes of Age Spots
Lentigines (age spots) are caused by prolonged and repeated sun exposure or sun burns and usually appear later in adult life.
Signs and symptoms of Age Spots
Age spots known medically as lentigos and seborrhoeic keratoses are brown patches which commonly appear on the back of the hands the face and the back.
Treatment of Age Spots
Antibiotics such as tetracycline (Achromycin), some diuretics (water pills) and antipsychotic medicines such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine) will also cause your skin to produce age spots when it is not protected from the sun. Different Types of Treatment For Age Spots are available, some are:
- alpha hydroxy acid gel
- alpha hydroxyacid peels
- Liquid nitrogen therapy
Home remedy tips for age spots
The most important thing you can do to stop new age spots from forming is to wear sunscreen-all the time.
For persons with dark skin, hydroquinone alternatives are recommended, such as kojic acid. Other topical treatments include the use of vitamin C products and mandelic acid products. These may help speed up the process of fading the spots, and the use of mandelic acid or kojic acid can do it with little or no irritation.