Liver spots on hands

Introduction to liver spots

Despite the name, liver spots really have nothing at all to do with the organ of that name.

Sometimes they are also referred to as age spots, because they are commonly associated with people who are older.

These spots are small, flat and usually of a light brown color and they look a little like enlarged freckles. They commonly appear on the hands once people reach middle age, which is why they are usually called age spots.

It is a more common condition in people with fair skin than people with darker complexions and darker hair as well.

There is often a hereditary predisposition for getting this liver spots, but more than anything, age spots are directly related to exposure to the sun.

It is not a coincidence that the parts of the body that are most commonly coming into contact with the sun – the hands, face and feet – are usually the body parts that have age spots on them.

Do not worry, because these liver spots are not cancerous and they do not lead to cancer either. However, over-exposure to the sun can cause cancer and when it is a cancerous condition, the spots will be scaly and red, and they will also not be flat, but more elevated than liver spots.

Even though the hereditary aspect cannot be prevented, the one general rule for preventing liver spots is to stay out of the sun as much as possible and to use sun block to protect the skin when you must be in the sun for a prolonged period of time. Treatment

As stated, the simplest form of treatment for this problem is to use sunscreens in order to protect the skin from damage while basking in the sun’s presence.

This is more of a preventive measure than a treatment, however.

There are bleaches and creams available on the market that can be used to try and fade the spots and make them invisible. It can take a while to see any effects from using them though, probably at least two months, if not more.

There is also a method of treatment called cryosurgery in which a doctor will freeze the skin tissue with liquid nitrogen and then remove the liver spots, after which new skin will grow in a normal color.

The best and most effective option is laser surgery, but, it is important to note that laser surgery is also the most expensive treatment by a long shot.

Also, one must note that if they have many liver spots that they want to remove, it will probably take more than one laser session to get rid of them all, which can be very expensive.

The benefits are that it is fast, painless and will not cause any scarring.