Ive lately been a little too obsessed with sun spots on my skin - those little brown dots that just kind of appear randomly. What physically happens to the skin for those to appear? They seem to pop up with graduation - first they’re light brown, and the more exposure there is to the sun, the darker they get. How do they form in the first place, and do sunscreens help avoid them?
I’ve noticed most people have a ton on their shoulders, since the sun’s shining down on them no matter what. But can sunscreen help? Thanks.
As far as I know from talking with somebody who battles a rare skin cancer, sun screens can help, because those spots are just an example of what happens when UV rays react with the skin…UV actually damages the skin or stimulate production in the skin.
The specific things that are going on are unknown, but she described freckles from sun exposure as a form of ‘minor damage’.
should say…“unknown to her…”
Here is the answer:
Lentigines are superficial collections of skin pigment called melanin which have accumulated within the top layer of skin called the epidermis. Ephelides are common in lighter type skin in individuals who sunburn easily. Lentigines usually appear later in life and can occur in all skin types.
WHAT CAUSES PIGMENTED SPOTS?
Lentigines are caused by prolonged and repeated sun exposure or sun burns and usually appear later in adult life. Ephelides occur even in children after brief periods of sun exposure. Both types of pigmented spots only rarely occur in non sun exposed areas. Sun avoidance and the use of good sun screen protection can help lessen the appearance of both lentigines and freckles.
see:
http://skincarerx.org/spots.html