【Creative Cultivation Program】What exactly are age spots?

Author: Chen Xue

How do age spots come about?

As people age, brown spots of varying shades will gradually appear on their bodies, which may or may not protrude from the skin. Because these spots, along with wrinkles, gray hair, etc., reflect the aging of the body's skin, they are commonly referred to as "age spots."

These different forms of age spots may be manifestations of two skin diseases:

One type of "age spot" is seborrheic keratosis, which is a patch of brown with varying shades that grows on the face, scalp, trunk, and upper limbs. Seborrheic keratosis mostly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people, but can also be seen in young and middle-aged people, and is more common in men. This disease usually has no subjective symptoms, but occasionally individual skin lesions may also cause itching.

Another type of "age spot" is solar lentigo, also called solar sunspots, which are caused by sunlight stimulating melanocytes to produce excessive melanin. They often occur on the face, arms, and backs of the hands exposed to sunlight and are smooth, brown macules and patches that do not protrude from the skin surface.

Can age spots be avoided?

The exact cause of seborrheic keratosis and solar lentigo is still unclear. It is known that sunlight exposure and age are related to the occurrence of "age spots". Photoaging caused by ultraviolet exposure can be reduced by doing daily sun protection, but natural aging caused by age, like presbyopia and gray hair, is unavoidable. In addition, a type of generalized seborrheic keratosis has a certain family genetic tendency. If the elders have a lot of age spots on their bodies when they are old, then you will also have more age spots when you reach the same age. This special type of age spot is also unavoidable.

Which situations may indicate hidden disease and require examination?

Age spots are a manifestation of skin aging. They increase and grow slowly year by year. Apart from affecting appearance, they do not affect life and health. However, when seborrheic keratosis increases suddenly in a short period of time, it may be a signal of potential visceral tumors. You should actively go for a full body check-up.

In addition, some precancerous lesions and malignant tumors of the skin are also common in the elderly. These diseases are usually painless and itchy, persist for a long time, develop slowly, and are easily mistaken for "age spots". The following skin diseases need to be vigilant:

① Actinic keratosis is a precancerous lesion of the skin that may develop into squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. It often occurs in middle-aged and elderly people who are frequently exposed to sunlight, and occurs on the face, upper limbs, bald scalp and other sun-exposed areas. When some reddish-brown patches that do not fade for a long time and do not cause discomfort, accompanied by fine white dandruff, appear in these areas, you need to go to the hospital for treatment immediately.

② Basal cell carcinoma is the most common malignant skin tumor. It is prone to occur in exposed parts of the skin of the elderly, especially the head and face. Unlike "age spots", basal cell carcinoma often appears alone, with a grayish white to brown color, a depression in the middle and a raised edge. It is prone to bleeding and exudation after minor trauma, is difficult to heal, and can form ulcers.

③Malignant melanoma is a highly malignant skin tumor. When black lesions with a diameter greater than 0.6 cm, irregular edges, uneven colors, and asymmetrical shapes appear on the skin, you should go to the hospital for treatment in time. In addition, "age spots" will not appear on the palms and soles of the feet. When irregular black spots appear in these parts, you should also seek medical attention in time.

To sum up, as we age, many "age spots" of similar shapes will appear on our skin. When the shape and color of a painless and itchy rash are different from most other "age spots", or even symptoms such as bleeding and ulceration occur, you need to be alert to some malignant diseases and seek medical attention promptly.

This article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project. Please indicate the source when reprinting.