Age spots tend to show up quietly, then suddenly feel impossible to ignore. One day your skin tone looks even, and the next you notice darker patches on your face, hands, or chest that weren’t there before.
They’re extremely common and usually harmless. For many patients, age spots aren’t a health concern. They’re a reminder of years of sun exposure, and treating them is often about wanting skin to look clearer and more even.
Sun spots, liver spots, solar lentigines
Cumulative UV exposure over many years
Clearer, more even-looking skin
What Are Age Spots?
Age spots are also known as liver spots, but their medical name is solar lentigines. They are flat areas of increased pigmentation that appear darker than the surrounding skin — light brown to dark brown patches found on sun-exposed areas.
Appearance:
Common locations:
Solar lentigos are benign lesions caused by exposure to UV light, including tanning beds. Age spots can increase in number over time with continued sun exposure.
Who Gets Age Spots?
Age spots are very common, particularly in certain populations.
Age factor: Solar lentigos are very common in people older than 40 and become increasingly prevalent with age.
Skin type considerations:
Anyone with significant sun exposure can develop age spots, regardless of skin type.
Why Age Spots Develop
Age spots develop due to cumulative sun exposure over many years.
How they form: Ultraviolet (UV) light triggers excess melanin production in certain areas, leading to concentrated patches of pigment. As skin ages, it becomes less efficient at evenly distributing pigment, making these spots more noticeable.
UV sources include:
Because of this, age spots often appear alongside other signs of sun damage, such as solar elastosis and broader pigmented lesions.
Why Evaluation Is Important
It is very important to evaluate lesions before any treatment.
Age spots are a sign of significant sun exposure — the number one risk factor for skin cancer. While age spots themselves are benign, the sun damage that causes them also increases skin cancer risk.
Warning signs to watch for: Solar lentigos that are changing in shape, size, or color, or that become inflamed, should be biopsied as these changes could be a sign of malignancy.
During your evaluation, your provider will:
This evaluation step is essential for your safety and ensures you receive the right treatment.
How to Prevent Age Spots
Prevention is essential — both to avoid new spots and to maintain treatment results.
Sun avoidance: Avoid being outside from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM when possible. This is the time of day when UV rays from the sun are strongest.
Daily sunscreen: Sunblocks like EltaMD should be applied daily, even in the winter. We recommend sunblocks with at least SPF 30. Reapply every two hours while outside.
Protective clothing: Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a broad-brimmed hat while exposed to the sun.
Seek shade: We all want to be outside as much as possible, especially with short summers in the Midwest. Instead of hanging out in direct sunlight, seek shade under trees or covered areas.
What to Expect During a Consultation
A consultation at Lazaderm is focused on clarity and education.
During your visit, your provider will:
You’ll have time to ask questions and decide what feels right for you.
Setting Realistic Expectations
Treatment for age spots can significantly improve appearance, but new spots can develop with continued sun exposure.
What to understand:
Provider experience matters: Ensure that any treatment you receive is provided by someone with significant experience working with the skin. This is particularly important for laser treatments on different skin types.
The goal is clearer, more even-looking skin — not perfection.
Not all pigmented spots are the same, which is why evaluation is important before treatment. A consultation allows your provider to confirm that spots are benign and recommend the most appropriate treatment based on the number, location, and depth of your age spots.
Topical treatments can help lighten age spots, though results vary significantly by product.
Over-the-counter options: There are many choices available over-the-counter, but they generally do not work very well for significant sun damage.
Prescription-strength options: We have found that the prescription-strength Obagi Nu-Derm System works very well on facial lentigos. Medical-grade products provide better results than drugstore alternatives.
Best for:
Topical treatments work best as part of a comprehensive plan alongside professional treatments.
Our choice of IPL is the BBL by Sciton. We feel that it is the gold standard IPL system for treating age spots.
How it works: BBL delivers intense pulsed light that targets melanin in the skin. The pigmented cells absorb the light energy and are gradually broken down and eliminated by the body.
Versatility: BBL can individually treat age spots or be used on all areas of the skin, including the face, hands, arms, and chest. This makes it ideal for comprehensive treatment.
Best for:
We use the Lutronic Spectra laser to treat individual spots, and it may give better long-term improvement than BBL for certain lesions.
How it works: The Q-switched laser delivers very short, high-energy pulses that shatter pigment particles. The body then naturally clears the fragmented pigment over time.
Why it may provide better long-term results: The intense, targeted energy can break up deeper pigment that IPL may not fully reach, potentially providing more lasting improvement for stubborn individual spots.
Best for:
MOXI is a gentle fractional laser effective for improving pigmentation and overall skin tone with minimal downtime.
How it works: MOXI delivers fractionated laser energy that promotes cellular turnover and stimulates collagen. This helps fade pigmentation while improving overall skin quality and texture.
Best for:
MOXI is often combined with BBL for comprehensive results.
Ablative lasers provide the most significant results for age spot removal.
Options:
Our preference: We prefer to use the Erbium laser for treating individual lentigos as it has less risk of causing permanent pigmentation changes to the skin compared to CO2.
For extensive sun damage: If a patient has a lot of benign facial solar lentigos, it may be best to go ahead and completely resurface the skin on the face. This addresses multiple spots at once while also improving overall skin texture and quality.
Best for:
Fractional lasers are an excellent choice when treating larger areas with multiple age spots.
Options available:
How they work: Fractional lasers treat tiny columns of skin while leaving surrounding tissue intact. This promotes healing while stimulating collagen and cellular turnover that helps clear pigmentation.
Treatment expectations: These will likely require more than one treatment but are an excellent adjunct to topical treatment. The combination of professional treatments and medical-grade skincare provides comprehensive improvement.
Best for:
Chemical peels may provide modest improvement for age spots.
How they work: Chemical solutions exfoliate outer skin layers and promote cell turnover, which can help lighten pigmentation.
Limitations: Chemical peels may lighten age spots but will not remove them completely. They work best as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Best for:
With multiple treatment options available, your provider will help determine the best approach for your situation.
For individual spots: Q-Switched laser (Lutronic Spectra) or BBL
For multiple spots across larger areas: BBL, MOXI, or fractional lasers
For extensive facial sun damage: Full Erbium resurfacing may be the most efficient approach
For maintenance: BBL, MOXI, chemical peels, and medical-grade skincare
Combination approach: Many patients benefit from combining treatments — for example, BBL or laser treatment plus the Obagi Nu-Derm System for ongoing care.
If age spots are something you’ve been noticing or want evaluated, a consultation can help you understand your options. At Lazaderm, we’ll confirm your spots are benign and recommend the most effective treatment for clearer, more even-looking skin.
