Sun spots Treatment and Prevention

Sun spots: What are they?

Sun spots are flat brown spots that occur in areas of sun exposure so they present commonly on the face, the V of the chest, and even the back of the hands. They develop over time so patients will first notice ones in their 30s or 40s and slowly they'll accumulate more, especially if they have ongoing sun exposure.

Impact on the patient

When patients have changes in pigmentation like sunspots, it actually makes them look older and this is one of the reasons why they're very unpopular. There are studies that clearly show us that a uniform color of skin is perceived as looking much younger than skin that has a number of brown splotches on it.

In general it just makes people feel less confident about their appearance, and this is why they often turn to their cosmetic dermatologist to treat their sunspots.

What are the treatment options?

There are a number of treatments that are available for sun spots, and each patient would really need to discuss with their cosmetic dermatologist, which one is perfectly suited for them. The most important component of treating sun spots, is strictly avoiding the sun in order to prevent the spots from getting worse.

One treatment is aggressive skin care - we have skin lightening treatments that can actually bleach the sunspots and help in that way. There are light and laser-based treatments like intense pulsed light or a pigment laser that can also lighten the sun spots.

Some patients respond really well to different types of skin peels or chemical peels that can help to even the entire colour of the skin. In some patients we need to use a combination of treatments to get the best results.