Age spots are brown/grey in color and they show up after sunburn or years of sun exposure on your hands, face, neck, or chest. While the name of these spots make it seem like they are caused by age, that is not accurate. These spots are caused by sun damage to your skin. While there are multiple ways to treat these spots, going to a dermatologist for treatment will get you the quickest treatment options. At Eastside Dermatology, age spot removal is most commonly achieved through laser treatment or cryotherapy (freezing).
While freckles generally do not cause any serious health threats, it is important to keep an eye on any changing shapes and get your annual skin examination.
Age spots and freckles are typically non-cancerous and harmless; however, they should be examined as part of an annual skin examination because they can sometimes obscure suspicious lesions and interfere with skin cancer detection. It’s important to also keep an eye on your age spots and freckles to possibly catch anything in the early stages.