As people age, unsightly blemishes, commonly called liver spots, can appear on the face and on the back of the hands. Another upsetting change for many mature adults is the loss of smoothly contoured hands. dermasurgeons can improve both of these distressing conditions safely and effectively with excellent results.
Liver spots, also called lentigines or lentigos, are sharply defined, rounded, brown or black, flat patches of skin. The epidermis (top surface layer) is expanding with more pigment, developing what looks like a large freckle. One may appear by itself, or as a few clustered together.
Many people have a hereditary predisposition to them. While liver spots may develop at an early age, even in childhood, they are more common in older people, especially those who have spent too much time in the sun.
The spots are not cancerous, nor do they lead to cancer. However, on skin exposed to the sun, they may be accompanied by precancerous scaly, red elevations of the skin called actinic keratoses. Dark spots, which might be cancerous, may also appear to be lentigines. All of these blemishes should be evaluated by a dermasurgeon.
Although nothing can be done about the role heredity plays, excessive exposure to the sun should be avoided - a precaution that will diminish the threat of skin cancer as well as protect your skin from sun-damage. To moderate exposure, the skin should be protected by a sunscreen having minimum SPF of 15.
Treatment of liver spots is usually performed by the dermasurgeon in the office or other outpatient facility. Results can be permanent if a sunscreen is used continuously after removal.
Following are common treatment approaches:
The simplest treatment to protect the skin from further damage and worsening of the spots is use of a sunscreen. Sunscreen is also important after other treatment methods so the spots will not recur.
These are topical applications prescribed by the physician to fade small spots. Treatment normally takes anywhere from two months to a year or longer.
The dermasurgeon freezes the skin tissue with liquid nitrogen to remove liver spots and skin growths.
A chemical solution is applied to peel away the blemished skin. The face and hands usually heal in one to two weeks.
The skin is sanded lightly with a special instrument to remove the spot. Upon healing, which normally takes a week or so, the liver spot is gone. View the Dermabrasion fact sheet for more information.
New techniques with various lasers are used to remove the spots. A beam of laser light is directed at the liver spots to selectively eliminate the damaged skin.
The skin of the backs of the hands can be improved by a technique called microlipoinjection, a form of soft tissue filler. The dermasurgeon uses a tiny syringe to remove a small amount of a patient's own fat from another part of the body, such as the buttocks or the thigh. The fat is then injected into the back of the hands and molded to restore a youthful contour.
Since one's own fatty tissue is used, there is little risk of the body's rejecting it, as can sometimes occur when a foreign substance is used. Some patients have long-lasting results; others need re-treatment periodically.
For more information on skin conditions and treatments, along with a list of ASDS members in your state, please visit the Find a dermasurgeon section of our Web site.