Older or hepatic spots are flat brown or red patches that occur on the face of the hands and throat. There are a number of factors that affect their origin. The most common are skin exposure to UV radiation, age and genetics. Although they may look like cancerous growths, they are harmless.
The most common causes
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, they are caused by frequent skin exposure to sunlight. This causes the deposition of melanin under the skin, resulting in dark spots.
Other reasons are inappropriate diet and poor liver function.
Symptoms
Old stains have many symptoms. Here are the most common ones:
Occurrence of flat, oval areas with increased skin pigmentation in black or brown.
The most frequent sites are the skin often exposed to the sun – back, shoulders, face, back of hands, neck.
They vary in size, sometimes they create clumps.
They have the same structure as the rest of the skin.
They are painless.
Medical treatment
There are a number of medical procedures that remove these stains.
Laser and intensive pulse light therapy
This therapy does not damage the surface of the skin. However, it requires more sessions. It can also have some side effects – a slight change in the color of the skin.
Bleaching creams
This method involves the use of bleaching creams in combination with retinoids.
Chemical peeling
This is the application of acid that “burns” the skin layer. After treatment, new skin forms appear.
Freezing (Cryotherapy)
With this method, liquid nitrogen is applied to stains to help remove stains. Here it is important to note that freezing can cause permanent scarring or other discoloration of the skin.
Dermabrasion
During dermabrasion, the top layer of the skin is removed and a new layer of skin is created in its place. This method may cause temporary skin discoloration.
