Skin ageing? Not necessarily: here's what causes skin spots

By Cristiano Antonino On Jun 1, 2023

Although we tend to consider skin blemishes one of the main signs of the passage of time, i.e. skin ageing, contrary to popular belief they are not always caused by age, but can have different origins and nature

Skin spots afflict many women, but they are not uncommon in the male sex either, and can sometimes be an obvious aesthetic problem and more.

Only an expert dermatologist, through careful analysis, can establish the certain cause of the appearance of spots and prescribe the most suitable treatment for the patient according to the situation.

However, let us take a look at the main types of skin spots, the possible causes of their appearance and the treatments available to treat them.

Skin spots: the main causes

Men’s skin is subject to blemishes and imperfections of all kinds, and skin spots are certainly among them.

These spots can sometimes cause real discomfort to the sufferer as they often appear in areas of the body that are difficult to hide such as the skin of the face and hands.

The appearance of spots, also known as hyperpigmentation, is caused by the excessive production of melanin in certain places on the skin surface, which gives rise to the appearance of spots of varying size and shape that are darker in tone than the rest of the skin, ranging from light brown to black.

The triggering factors that cause the appearance of skin spots can be different.

Although age is the most frequent cause, it is certainly not the only one.

Aetiological factors responsible for the onset of skin spots include:

Genetic and hereditary factors, in the case of freckles or ephelides, for example;
Infectious and non-infectious pathologies, such as couperose, vitiligo, pityriasis versicolor, etc;
The taking of certain types of medication;
Contact with irritants;
Hormonal factors such as in cases of melasma and chloasma;
Other causes include excessive exposure to sunlight and skin lesions, which can leave skin spots after healing (so-called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation).

The most common types of skin spots

As there are several factors that can cause skin spots to appear, they can also be of different types: some are simply due to skin ageing and generally appear after the age of 40, while others can appear as early as in youth.

Let’s take a look at the most common types of hyperpigmentation.

Solar lentigo

This type of skin spots are caused by excessive exposure to the sun’s radiation and appear most on the face and areas that are most exposed to the sun and UV radiation, such as the shoulders.

These types of spots vary in both size and colour, which can range from dark yellow to hazel.

Apart from being a sometimes unwelcome skin blemish, solar lentigo are not a real health problem.

Senile lentigo

Senile lentigo are the typical spots that appear on the skin after a certain age.

Although skin ageing is an inevitable process, there are certain factors that contribute to accelerating this process and leading to the appearance of this type of spots.

Excessive exposure to sun radiation, smog, smoking and free radicals contribute to weakening the mechanisms responsible for melanin production.

This weakening leads to irregular pigment production and the subsequent appearance of age spots.

This type of hyperpigmentation is mostly observed on the skin of the subject’s face and hands.

The spots appear dark in colour and are usually roundish in shape.

Freckles and Ephelides

Both freckles and ephelids are skin spots due to genetic and hereditary factors.

Both spots do not represent any kind of health hazard although they are often considered an annoying skin blemish that should be removed by many individuals who have them.

Others, on the other hand, consider this type of blemish a distinctive trait that gives personality and should therefore be appreciated.

Melasma and Chloasma

Skin spots caused by melanin accumulation are called melasma and mainly affect the face, particularly the area around the mouth, cheeks, forehead and neck.

Hormonal factors and the use of oestrogen-based drugs such as the pill or antibiotics, anti-epileptics, anti-inflammatories, are the main cause of the appearance of this type of spots.

Chloasma, on the other hand, or ‘chloasma gravidum mask’, are the spots caused by the hormonal imbalance of pregnancy.

Pregnant women often have spots that vary from grey to brown, but these tend to disappear almost always after childbirth.

Skin spots and pathologies

Other diseases that lead to the appearance of spots on the skin are acne, which can leave unsightly red spots that may not go away with time, vitiligo, pityriasis alba and pityriasis versicolor, diseases that cause the appearance of typical white spots on the skin.

Some spots can also pose a danger in themselves, as in the case of actinic keratosis.

They appear as roundish plaques covered in scales, reddish-brown in colour.

The areas most affected are those most exposed to the sun such as the face, hands and shoulders.

Unlike other spots, these can progressively degenerate into a cancerous form.

They must be kept under medical supervision, which is why it is essential to consult a dermatologist periodically, especially if new spots appear on the skin.

Possible treatments

Many people learn to live with the spots on their body, but for some people having widespread spots on the face and body is a real problem.

Of course, not all spots are the same; some, for example, may disappear over time as in the case of a pregnancy mask.

On the other hand, with regard to skin spots caused by pathologies, it often happens that, once these are treated, pigmentation also returns to normal.

However, it does not always happen and in various cases skin spots remain even if the pathology has been treated.

In these cases it is possible to evaluate with one’s dermatologist the possibility of resorting to treatments, both invasive and non-invasive, to attenuate or eliminate the spots on the skin surface.

Various cosmetics are currently available on the market that are specifically designed to diminish the spots that may appear on the skin.

In addition, dermo-aesthetic treatments are also available such as laser, particularly indicated for deep and circumscribed spots, or radiofrequency, to treat the signs of ageing caused by the sun.

For hyperpigmentation such as melasma, on the other hand, chemical exfoliation, i.e. peeling performed with the help of acids, is particularly effective.

Other dermo-aesthetic treatments include microdermabrasion, dermabrasion and diathermocoagulation.

These types of treatments, however, must be performed by specialised doctors and after consulting a dermatologist.

Skin spots: prevention

A few simple precautions can prevent the appearance of certain types of sun spots, thus avoiding the need to resort to treatments that are sometimes very expensive and painful.

It has been known for years now that the use of a good cream that protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation is indispensable for preventing the appearance of annoying skin spots.

Its use is also recommended not only in the summer season, but also during the winter period, as UV radiation is always present and can cause damage to our skin.

A diet rich in antioxidants, contained in seasonal fruit and vegetables, and constant moisturising is also indispensable for healthy, strong skin.

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