Liver / Age Spots

Age spots (sun spots, liver spots, brown spots) are changes in skin colour associated with older skin. They're harmless, macular (flat), brown discolourations of the skin which usually appear on the back of the hands, neck and face of people. They're usually caused by the skin being exposed to the sun over many years and are a sign of sun damage so it recommended that the client is advised to avoid the sun and wear sun protection at all times.

They are caused by the accumulation of a yellow pigment called lipofuscin in the connective tissues of the body, due to ageing of the collagen-producing cells. When lipofuscin accumulates in the connective tissue of the skin, brown spots are the result. (When lipofuscin accumulates in the connective tissue of the retina of the eye, the result is age-related macular degeneration). The lipofuscin is probably the remnant of incompletely degraded molecules from damaged cells.

Preventing damage to cells is the best approach to age spots and other problems from ageing. Antioxidants are the key to preventing cellular damage from free radicals (highly reactive molecules that can destroy cellular compounds). Protective antioxidants include carotenes (present in most yellow vegetables), vitamins C and E (in fresh fruits and vegetables), selenium (in wheat germ), flavonoids (in blueberries, blackberries and cherries) and sulphur containing amino acids (in legumes, eggs, garlic and onions). Increasing the amount of antioxidant foods in the diet, along with supplementation, will decrease cellular damage. Avoiding excessive external sources of free radicals, including fried and grilled foods, solvents, pesticides, air pollutants, radiation and petroleum-based products may also help.