All About Spots

Some harmless but unattractive blemishes tend to appear on our skin as we age. The most common are seborrhoeic keratoses (also known as seborrhoeic warts and sometimes unflatteringly alluded to as senile warts). These usually appear as raised, rough warty growths which vary in colour from flesh-coloured or pink through to greyish brown and even black. The surface texture ranges from smooth to scaly and rough. Seborrhoeic warts appear on the trunk, face and neck, and are more common in middle age. One particularly annoying variety takes the form of skin tags which often grow on the neck, armpits and groin. The larger types are more common in overweight people. Seborrhoeic keratoses are not skin cancers but dermatologists are often asked to remove them for cosmetic reasons. They are removed by either burning them with a fine electric needle (diathermy or cautery), scraping them off with a skin curette, or freezing them (cryotherapy).

'Liver spots' (nothing to do with the liver) or `age spots' result from skin ageing and sun exposure and occur on sunexposed skin, especially the hands and face. They look like large, irregular freckles. They can be faded with light cautery or freezing and some forms of laser. Bleaching creams containing hydroquinone can be used to improve results after treatments but these must be used carefully and under medical supervision as some can cause irritation.

Sun-damaged skin of the face is prone to develop blackheads and small oil cysts (whiteheads). These come about because of sun-induced degeneration of the elastic tissue in the skin. These tiny cysts can be painstakingly removed using minute incisions. They cannot be squeezed out. Another frequent occurrence in ageing skin is the appearance of overgrown sebaceous glands (sebaceous adenomata) which appear as yellowish clumps of tissue, mainly on the foreheadand temple area. They are sometimes mistaken for skin cancers (BCCs). The only successful method of removing these entirely is surgical excision, or cautery if they are small.

By: SkinXpert

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