Tips on removing sunspots from skin

How effective is laser resurfacing for removing sunspots? Are there creams or other products that work to treat sun-damaged skin?

Laser resurfacing and other forms of laser and light therapy can effectively reduce or eliminate sunspots. Certain creams also can be useful. Keep in mind, though, that if you don’t protect your skin from the sun, the spots will almost always return, or new ones will form.

The medical term for a sunspot is lentigo (or lentigines for multiple sunspots). You also may hear them called age spots or liver spots. These spots on the skin are flat and round, or oval in shape. They are uniform in color, ranging from light brown to black. Because they are a result of sun damage to the skin, the spots are most common on areas of the body that have frequent sun exposure, such as the face, shoulders and hands.

Laser therapy, as well as a treatment called intense pulsed light, can treat pigmented skin lesions, including sunspots. Before you move forward with any treatment, however, it’s important to be evaluated by a health care provider who is experienced in diagnosing and treating skin conditions. Your health care provider can review factors that could affect your treatment, such as your skin type, medical history, family history and any medications you take.

He or she also will perform a thorough physical exam to confirm that the spots you want treated are sunspots. In some cases, the skin cancer melanoma also can look similar to sunspots. Identifying and treating mel- anoma as quickly as possible is critical to curing it.