As our largest organ, the skin shields us from the outside world. As a result, it is exposed to a wide variety of influences on a daily basis. Particularly in summer, it is mainly UV radiation that affects our skin. UV radiation stimulates the production of the skin pigment melanin in our body. This tans the skin. After the summer, the tan usually fades again. However, it can also lead to permanent skin changes over time. These pigment spots are often referred to as age spots because they can appear more frequently with age. How can age spots treated be treated?
Prevent age spots with suitable sun protection
If UV rays affect the upper layers of the skin over decades, chronic light damage such as age spots occur. They are favored by the fact that the epidermis thickens more irregularly over time and stores more melanin. Cells also regenerate more slowly, making them more susceptible to various types of damage.
Suitable sun protection should be used to prevent age spots. Above all, this includes sun cream with a high sun protection factor. The sun protection factor should be 50+, especially for direct exposure to the sun. But sun protection is not only part of your skincare routine in sunny weather – sun protection should also not be neglected in cloudy weather or in winter.
Can age spots be completely avoided?
By protecting your skin, avoiding long periods of sunbathing and refraining from visiting sunbeds, you can actively contribute to a long, healthy and beautiful complexion. This also reduces the risk of premature skin ageing. UV radiation releases so-called free radicals in the tissue, which damage the cells and thus also contribute to wrinkles.
Despite careful precautions and protective measures as well as targeted skin care, pigmentation and age spots cannot be completely ruled out. Nevertheless, our body comes into contact with solar radiation. What’s more, even sunscreen with SPF 50+ does not offer 100 percent protection. Individual predisposition and other factors (e.g. hormonal disorders) can also lead to pigmentation spots and age spots.
Skin cancer due to age spots?
Age spots are benign and unproblematic skin changes. At best, they are a cosmetic nuisance, but they do not have any health effects. Age spots therefore do not lead to skin cancer, but they can resemble some types of skin cancer. For this reason, it is very important to have your skin checked regularly by a dermatologist. The expert recognizes conspicuous changes and can initiate appropriate treatment. Early diagnosis has an extremely positive effect on the chances of recovery and reduces the risk of health consequences.
Skin cancer screening should be carried out annually. You should also regularly check your own pigmentation spots to notice any changes at an early stage. It is often assumed that skin cancer screening should begin around the age of 30 to 35 – but in fact it can be carried out much earlier in order to provide optimum protection for the skin. Please contact us personally to find out more!
Treating age spots – gentle laser therapy
If unpleasant age spots have manifested themselves on the skin, they cannot be reduced with creams or home remedies, unlike many other skin irritations or skin changes. Instead, professional treatment by a dermatologist is a suitable way to get rid of them.
In our practice, we offer gentle laser treatment for pigmentation disorders. The laser emits highly focused energy into the tissue. There, the energy is absorbed by the colored cells. This causes the cells to heat up and burst. As a result, the pigmentation dissolves into tiny particles, which are removed by the body’s own processes. The age spot fades. With some pigmentation, it may be necessary to repeat the laser treatment to further reduce the pigmentation until it is no longer visible.
The laser treatment takes between ten and 30 minutes, depending on the size of the area to be treated. A local anesthetic is not absolutely necessary. Patients usually only feel a slight pinching sensation during the treatment. However, the area can be anesthetized in advance if desired.
Further possible combinations
The gentle laser treatment can also be combined with other minimally invasive procedures to rejuvenate the skin and improve its appearance. Effective options include deep cleansing and deep hydration with HydraFacial™ or a chemical peel. You can find out more about these and other procedures on our website korsmedic.de for more information.
What happens after laser treatment?
After the pigmentation has been broken down into small pieces, the body’s immune cells are stimulated. The aim of these is to remove the remains. Similar to an unwanted pathogen in the body, the immune cells work with a targeted inflammatory reaction to remove the particles from the body. Patients may therefore feel as if they have a slight sunburn on the inside of their skin for a few days after laser treatment. Any burning, pulling and possible redness or swelling is not usually a cause for concern, but rather an indication of the healing process. The symptoms subside on their own.
last update: 4.8.2022
