Botox
Chemical Peels
Restylane
Microdermabrasion
Skin Cancer Screening
Laser Surgery
|
LENTIGINES (Brown Sun Spots)
I have a
brown spot like Vincent Price has on his face. What
is it?
 These are lentigines, also known as sun spots,
age spots, or liver spots, and are harmless, flat,
brown discolorations
of the skin which usually occur on the back of the
hands, neck, and face of people older than 40 years of
age.
These spots more than anything else, give away a
person's age.
Lentigines are caused by the skin being exposed to
the sun over many years. If you do not believe that these
brown, ugly marks on the back of your hands and face
are caused
by sunlight, look at the skin on your inner thigh.
You
will see that the skin of the inner thigh is completely
devoid of age spots. Sun spots are harmless and do
not need to be treated unless they are changing or getting
bigger than the surrounding sun spots.
How do I prevent it?
The only way to prevent age spots is to use liberal
amounts of sunscreen before the age of forty, avoid the
sun,
and wear protective clothing. These measures will
also help prevent the formation of skin cancer and wrinkles.
 Is there a way to treat it?
The newest treatment for lentigines is alpha hydroxy
acid like MD Forte. The lotion or cream is applied
to the spots each night and in the morning. Topical
vitamin C treatment is effective for treating sun
spots. Topical vitamin C works well when used in combination
with alpha hydroxy acids. Another treatment for lentigines
is Retin-A. Retin-A cream is applied to the spots
once
a day for six months. This will cause lightening
of large age spots and will make small ones disappear.
Retin-A cream can be used in combination with alpha
hydroxy acid. Lentigines can also be treated with
an
alpha hydroxy acid peel. This involves applying a
mild acid to the skin and then allowing the skin to heal.
Chemical peels work best in people with blue eyes
and
light hair, but can be effective in all skin types.
Liquid nitrogen works well for treating lentigines.
The best treatment for lentigines is the Neodymium
YAG Laser. Ask Dr. Guccione or Ms. Carlisle what
treatment would be best for you.
|
