Sunspots on Skin: 6 Tips to Detect Skin Cancer
Sunspots on skin: Are those freckles just or is it something more serious?
Sunspots on skin(solar lentigines) are caused by over exposure to the sun. These flat brown spots usually show up on the parts of your skin that have been exposed to the sun. Once you start getting sunspot on skin, expect them to darken and increase in number with every ray of sunshine that hits your skin.
It is important to note that any UV ray from the sun will darken your sunspots. That even includes the sunlight that comes through windows, bounces off the ground, or that passes through clouds on a rainy day. All of these will worsen your sunspots.
Think of the cause and effect this way, any UV Ray exposure = more sunspots!
Eventually everyone will get sunspot on skin from exposure to the sun. Most people start noticing sunspots on their body in their late 30’s and 40’s. Sunspots often show up on the sides of your face, neck, chest, and the back of your hands as thease parts of the body are often left unprotected from the sun.
Sunspots on skin are harmless to your health. They can’t develop into skin cancer BUT, skin cancer can mimic the look of a sunspot.
Skin cancer plagues about 20 percent of Americans, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Regular checkups with a dermatologist are essential. Use these tips to identify sunspots on skin that appear in between visits.
Sun spots are harmless and quite common, especially if they appear after you are 40. Mistakenly identifying a cancerous skin spot as a sun spot may have dire consequences. Visit your dermatologist at least once a year, and discuss the best ways to perform self-exams.
