Banishing Brown Spots

Identifying Brown Spots

• Freckles are small, flat brown marks. They commonly show up on the faces and shoulders of fair-skinned individuals. Freckles as an inherited trait are called ephelides. They can occur on the milky complexions of redheads to much darker skin tones.
• Lentigines are a UV induced pigmented proliferation of the epidermal keratinocytes (skin cells).
• Pigmented actinic keratoses, brown marks that are scaly or crusty, can be forerunners of skin cancer.
• Seborrheic keratoses or “wisdom spots” are raised tan, brown, or black growths that look waxy or scaly.
• Melasma is large reticulate patches of discoloration, usually on the face and often hormonally induced.

Brown spots are generally harmless. However, it is vitally important to have a dermatologist examine them to rule out potentially serious health threats such as malignant melanoma.

Preventing and treating brown spots

The majority of brown spots are related to sun exposure. Careful daily sun protection reduces risk of developing these blemishes. Dr. Amanda Lloyd will talk with you about lifestyle habits and products that can help.

She may recommend laser treatment for existing spots. The ExcelV and the Fraxel Dual lasers selectively target the brown color, safely removing spots from your skin. Topical numbing is applied prior to the procedure, for an essentially painless experience. The entire face can be treated in about 20 minutes, and there is no downtime. Results are long-lasting. However, due to living in sunny North County San Diego, some maintenance may be necessary.

Call Skin & Vein Institute at (760) 642-6674 (new patients) or (760) 452-2080 (existing patients) to learn more about ExcelV and Fraxel Dual laser therapy for brown spots, alone or in combination with other treatments, for great-looking skin.