WHAT BOTHERS ME?
Pigment spots and age spots are an aesthetic problem. Unlike liver spots, which can develop into skin cancer over time, pigment spots are harmless. Pigment spots are brownish skin discolourations that occur due to a strong deposition of skin pigments in the skin's surface, also due to long-term UV radiation of the skin. They are also known as sun spots. Sun spots or age spots are roundish to lenticular, brown hyperpigmentations that occur mainly on areas of skin that are frequently exposed to the sun. On the back of the hands, on the extensor sides of the forearms, on the face and forehead and, in women, also on the décolleté. On the one hand, the decades of exposure to UV radiation causes the skin to become overactive and produce more melanin. On the other hand, the removal of the pigment no longer functions smoothly. The result is that melanin accumulates in the skin and forms the unloved spots. Another pigment, lipofuscin, is also active in age spots.
The so-called ‘pregnancy mask’, on the other hand, is caused by hormonal changes. Also known as melasma or chloasma, these usually large areas of hyperpigmentation affect the face and predominantly the forehead, cheek and upper lip area. Pigment spots are harmless. However, it is important to differentiate them from malignant skin changes such as malignant melanoma (black skin cancer) and its precursors with a dermatologist.
