Liver spots have absolutely nothing to do with the liver. And so far I haven’t found a very good reason why they’re called liver spots in the first place except maybe they’re colored and shaped like your liver.

Liver spots are dark spots that appear on your skin due to long-term sun damage. They are usually flat, brown-black spots that occur most often on those areas that have had the greatest sun exposure such as the backs of the hands, face, forearms, forehead and shoulders. If you wear shorts for golf or tennis you are going to find liver spots on your legs.

Also called age spots, they are simply melanin deposits also called solar lentigines when the sun’s ultraviolet radiation damages the color-producing cells of the skin. These cells, called melanocytes go into overdrive and produce too much color giving us the age spots.

They vary in size from freckle-size to more than a centimeter across. When they group together they look more prominent. They are common in adults over age 40 although they can affect younger people as well and they typically show in people with a fair complexion but you can find them also on darker skin depending upon sun exposure.

The good news is that age spots are usually harmless and don’t require medical care although you may not like the way they look. The problem is when you get age spots they are usually accompanied by other signs of sun damage including deep wrinkles, dry and rough skin, fine red veins on your cheeks and nose, and thinner, more translucent looking skin – all signs of aging. As if you needed another reminder.

However you should call a doctor when you see changes in how your liver spots look because that can be the beginning of skin cancer. Look for any that become darker, rapidly increase in size, have an irregular border or are an unusual combination of colors.

More on how to treat and prevent those age spots in my next post. In fact, I will be writing about your skin and sun damage for the next week or so. It’s the first week in July and I’ve become very aware of sun damage and skin problems having visited the dermatologist. I was lucky with this season’s inspection but my husband wasn’t; he has three basal cell cancers that require attention and that’s with wearing sunscreen – at least some of the time. My goal is to poke you into being more aware of how to care for yourself, including your skin, regardless of your age.

To your success at healthy aging.
Ruthan Brodsky

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