Sunspots and solar lentigo
Solar lentigo occurs due to prolonged sun exposure: UV rays cause the hyperproliferation of melanocytes and the accumulation of melanin within some skin cells, known as keratinocytes. Solar lentigos are very frequent, especially in people over 40: they are often also referred to as “old age spots “or “senile freckles”.
What is solar lentigo?
Solar lentigo is a benign epidermal spot that appears as a patch of darkened skin.
Sunspots have a flat and circumscribed shape and usually appear on the hands, décolleté or face; they have an oval or round shape and their dimensions, from a few millimeters, can reach or even exceed a centimeter.
Photo-protection helps prevent their formation, especially in fair skinned people.
Treatments for skin spots
Image Regenerative Clinic intervenes on sunspots with the innovative Laser Asset with Q-Switched Nd: Yag technology, which uses modulable wavelengths to guarantee careful delicacy while interacting with the skin.
Solar lentigines are permanent spots, and can only be erased when treated by laser. If not dealt with when they first appear, they can increase in volume and density, turning into seborrheic keratosis. This aggravation is caused by a localized thickening of the tissue with modifications of its texture. This thickening can also become inflamed, and at this point they are called “lichenoid keratosis”. In this case, the removal is highly recommended, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to avoid the situation getting worse.
