What are Age Spots and What Causes Age Spots to Form?
Age Spots or sometimes called ‘liver spots’ are blemishes on the skin associated with aging and exposure to ultra-violet radiation from the sun. They are also known as ‘age spots’, ‘old age spots’, ‘sun spots’, ‘lentigos’, or ‘senile/solar lentigines’. They range in color from light brown to black and are located in areas most often exposed to the sun, particularly the hands, face, shoulders, arms and forehead. In spite of their name, liver spots are not related to the liver, rather to the liver coloration of the spots. From the age of 40 onwards, the skin is less able to regenerate from sun exposure and liver spots are very common in this older age group, particularly in those who enjoy being out in the sunshine. Liver spots have been known to proliferate in some individuals under emotional distress.
