What Do You Do About Your Liver Spots?

The good thing about liver spots is that they are preventable, but that's about it.

There is nothing better that can be said about their emergence in the skin. They look ugly and if, in the rare case they are harmful, they could turn out to be melanoma (skin cancer). Years of exposure to sun usually cause liver spots or solar lentigines that are grayish, black or brown in color to appear in the skin.

Also called age spots (as they mostly are seen in older age groups), these blemishes are very noticeable on the back of the hands and in the face; less so on the shoulders or the arms. Accompanied by wrinkling, age spots are cosmetically not that great to have on the body and there are cosmetic surgery treatments to remedy them.

Skin bleaching lotions and prescribed creams can help them to a certain extent, but for more effective results, dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons recommend certain cosmetic treatments.

Among these treatments, a series of laser therapy sessions can prove to be very helpful in diminishing the appearance of liver spots. Dermabrasion, slightly more invasive than a laser treatment, is also useful for getting rid of age spots.

Another cosmetic surgery treatment that enjoys popularity among 40-somethings dealing with liver spots is a chemical peel session. The acid used in a peel goes right until the area where the spots are, burning the outer skin on the way. Like dermabrasion, a chemical peel can be invasive.

See which option suits you best at the Plastic Surgery Institute of California.