Age spots (sun spots)
Age and sun spots on the face and hands can be treated with the Q-switched ruby laser. Because not every brown spot is harmless, we first look at each one with the dermatoscope.
Overview
With increasing age, sun spots or age spots (lentigines) appear more and more, above all on the face and the hands. They result from years of UV exposure and are benign, but are often felt to be disturbing. For treatment we use the Q-switched ruby laser; depending on the findings, the pico laser can also be an option.
Before any removal comes the dermatological assessment with the dermatoscope (digital epiluminescence microscopy). It clarifies whether a treatment with the ruby laser is possible at all and whether an early skin cancer is hiding behind the supposed sun spot. Certain changes such as lentigo maligna, an early form of melanoma, can look confusingly similar to age spots. We therefore only laser what has been medically assessed as benign beforehand; unclear or suspicious pigment spots are clarified histologically instead. For this reason laser therapy belongs in the hands of dermatologists experienced with lasers.
If possible, the treatment should not take place in the summer months, because stronger sun exposure must be avoided afterwards. For eight weeks after the treatment, a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor is recommended. The ruby laser page describes the procedure, aftercare and risks in detail; how we assess pigment spots is explained under skin cancer screening.
Areas of application
- Age spots (lentigines) on the face
- Sun spots on the hands
- Benign pigment spots on the décolleté and forearms
- In each case after prior dermatological assessment with the dermatoscope