Age and liver spots: What can I do to remove them?

Liver spots are also called age spots, as they mainly affect women and men after the age of 40. It is a major indication of ageing skin. It should be noted that nearly 90% of people over 70 have age spots.

Liver spots have a brown hue and a round flat shape. They usually develop on the back of the hands, the face, the cleavage, the shoulders and on the back, in other words on the parts most exposed to the sun.

These beige and pale spots turn brown over time. Furthermore, they increase in number over the years. They are often accompanied by white spots called actinic hypomelanosis.

In most cases, liver spots are benign. However, it is necessary to keep an eye on their evolution, with the help of a dermatologist, to avoid any risk.

Age and liver spots: causes

Liver spots are caused by an excessive production of melanin in the skin. Melanin is produced by cells that are present in the epidermis, which are called melanocytes. These cells produce the pigments present in the skin.

Melanocytes are stimulated by the UV rays of the sun. After a certain age, the skin’s natural ageing cycle becomes active. Repeated overexposure to the sun results in the appearance of liver spots.

Age spots are more often found on people with fair skin: red, blond or chestnut brown haired people. Phototypes 1 to 3 are more subject to the appearance of liver spots.

Their appearance in the mottled brown hue can be a source of aesthetic insecurities for some people. Age spots are unsightly but today they can be treated by aesthetic medicine.

However, going beyond cosmetic motivations, even if the majority of liver spots are benign, it is advisable to have their evolution monitored by a dermatologist. This is to ensure that the spot doesn’t become malignant and show an abnormal accumulation of melanin in the skin. Melanosis is often the first sign of melanoma: a cancer of the skin.

Age and liver spots: treatments

There are many techniques for removing age spots.

Some of these abrade the top layer of the epidermis to renew the skin and erase the liver spots (skin peels, Fraxel®, Plexr®).

Others target the melanin responsible for the brown colour of the age spot with the aid of laser wave technology (Discovery® Pico Plus). Using the laser the melanin burns off and gets destroyed. As a result of this, the age spots disappear. Before the laser session, the dermatologist performs a complete examination of the skin in order to use a laser suited to the patient's skin complexion.

The LED, for its part, targets the cellular mitochondria to stimulate skin regeneration. This procedure is also used in dermatological sera.