Unsightly age spots can start to show up on people of all skin colors as they age.
Beyond an annoyance, these marks, also known as liver or sun spots, can also turn cancerous. Whether these spots are dangerous or simply aesthetically vexatious, age spot treatments and laser resurfacing can be the perfect solution to get rid of them.
Age Spots Defined
Age spots, also known as solar lentigo, are flat, brownish areas of skin. Some are more circular in shape, but they are also often irregularly shaped spots. They can range from as small as a pea to as large as a nickel. The root cause is sun exposure, which is why most age spots are found on the face, hands, arms, neck, shoulders and upper back. These spots are the result of accumulated pigment or melanin within the epidermis or upper layers of skin. Because they are embedded in the skin layers, they do not fade and darken with the seasons like freckles do. The development of age spots does signal an increased risk for skin cancer, and if you notice any spots that have changed shape and are growing, you should report them to your doctor for analysis.
Prevention and Treatments
The only way to prevent age spots is to stay out of the sun as much as possible and to liberally apply sunscreen before subjecting your skin to the sun’s rays. Treatments for existing age spots include bleaching creams, chemical peels , and fotofacial treatments, but perhaps the most effective method is laser resurfacing. This is a process that uses a sensitive laser to burn off the spots. Lasers, like the CO2 laser for example, are very adept at cutting just deep enough to remove long-standing wrinkles and skin discoloration as well as age spots all during only one or two treatments. This resurfacing is so-called because the laser removes the epidermis skin.
Recovery and Results
Because that top layer of skin is removed during laser resurfacing, you are likely to have some redness, pain, peeling and scabs as the skin heals. While this process is not pleasant, it doesn’t last very long. You can expect your skin to have cleared up in about one or two weeks. The recovery period includes the application of ointment and bandages for the first several days. The size of your bandages will depend on the amount of skin you had treated, but you may need to wear a head mask or wrap for larger jobs. Even if you are required to wear one, you will usually be permitted to remove it after two days at most.
While you wait for you skin to heal, you will need to avoid the sun as much as possible. This means staying at home and indoors. To help the healing process, you should also refrain from strenuous exercise and other activities. You can start to use make-up again after a week or two when new skin has covered the area treated by laser resurfacing. The redness may gradually fade over several months, and you may experience sun-sensitivity for a complete year after the procedure. So continue your regimen of sunscreen use. The full benefit of your laser resurfacing process will start to be visible anywhere from six months to a year afterwards and you can enjoy that glowing new complexion free of age spots for up to five years.
Laser resurfacing has associated risks like any cosmetic procedure, but they are rare. Your doctor can help you figure out if this procedure is the best choice for effectively removing your age spots.
By: A Aaronson Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
To smooth wrinkles and diminish skin discolorations, many seek laser resurfacing. Lake County professionals at New Trend medical spa offer laser resurfacing and other rejuvenating skin treatments. Contact them at www.newtrendmedicalspa.com.
More to come… when we take a look at chicken pox and what they look like
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I really liked this post, it’s a good article!
HappyFace´s last blog post .. http://healing-scabs-on-face.com/treatments-of-acne-scars-marks
It is amazing how much better her skin is in so short a time. Laser is a wonderful invention.
A scab is a dried fluid (exudate) that sits on top of the skin after an injury – you do not heal it!! There is nothing in the literature that says age spots are associated with cancer! — check the National Library of Medicine or the Dermatology Society. I will be interested to see if you post this. JAWs
Hi Sammiel
…no reason not to post your comment unless u r spamming!
Here’s my reply:
Yes, I agree with you that a scab doesn’t ‘heal’ but it is nevertheless part of the healing process of a wound, acne pustule, pimple, eruption etc
In fact a scab is basically nothing but dry dead cell material BUT the problem is, it can block healing by depriving the tissue beneath of important nutrients and the moisture it needs to generate new skin tissue growth.
So in a loose sense you can ‘heal’ a scab (although to be exact you are aiding the body’s natural healing process of which scabbing is a part) by providing it with a moisturised environment in order to help prevent scarring
With regard to your other points here are some ‘literature’ excerpts as my response
“Some signs of aging that appear on the skin indicate more than advancing years; they warn of an underlying medical condition. What looks like an age spot could actually be an actinic keratosis. Left untreated, some actinic keratoses progress to skin cancer.”
“Lentigo maligna (“malignant freckle”): This is a skin cancer that generally occurs on the faces of older adults who have a history of considerable sun exposure. Over the course of months to years, this condition may, if untreated, develop into a more aggressive malignant variety called lentigo maligna melanoma.”
“The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a full-body skin examination for adults as part of a routine annual health exam. It is important to have any new, changing, bleeding mole or growth examined by your physician or dermatologist as soon as possible. Skin cancers are curable if diagnosed and treated at an early stage”
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Chemical Peels may be dangerous specially if you use those high concentrations of Glycolic Acid.-,,
Bob Marley died of Melanoma right ?:-;
Sunblocks can also reduce the incidence of skin cancer by preventing UV to harm your skin.:,,
chemical peels are also damaging if not properly administered*~,
melanoma is quite dangerous, so make sure that you get early detection or early treatment~.”
you can reduce the risk of skin cancer buy using sunblocks if you are going to get prolonged exposure to the sun :.,