A friend told Hanako that as he grew older, he found that more and more "black spots" appeared on his hands, arms, face and other parts, but it was not painful or itchy, and did it have an impact on his health?
Hanako said that these "black spots" he called, basically every elderly person will appear, and as they age, some dark-brown patches will gradually appear on the skin, often referred to as age spots. This is a benign skin disease, the risk of exacerbation is not high, but care also needs to be taken to avoid the associated risks.
First, why do age spots appear?
Age spots are very age-related, the formal disease is called seborrheic keratosis, which is a benign skin basal cell tumor, typically appearing as a round, oval papules or plaques, brown, black, visible on the surface of the plaque with varying degrees of keratosis, hard and rough to the touch.
In people over 50 years old, the probability of age spots can reach 80% to 100%. And the older you get, the more and bigger the age spots will be. Etiological investigations have shown that age spots are associated with long-term chronic ultraviolet radiation as well as genetic factors. However, age spots do not cause symptoms, are not contagious, but affect the appearance, do not affect health.
Second, be vigilant against symptomatic age spots
Age spots are not dangerous, but it should be noted that if the age spots have symptoms, such as pain, itching, or the surface of the age spots has broken, or suddenly a large number of age spots appear, or the original age spots grow rapidly, you should be careful and watch out, it is likely to be other diseases.
If the age spots are papules-like, they may be associated with certain adenocarcinomas when symptoms appear. If there are tumors in other parts of the body, it is also possible to cause the rapid growth of age spots. Some melanin nevi look similar to age spots, but are at risk of malignancy and may convert to melanoma.
Third, how to reduce the occurrence of age spots
1, do not over-sunbathe: human skin in the sun, can synthesize vitamin D, promote the absorption of calcium, prevent osteoporosis, so many elderly people like to bask in the sun. However, excessive sun exposure may cause skin damage, increasing the likelihood of age spots.
You can bask in the sun for about 1 hour a day, and avoid the most intense periods of sunshine such as noon and afternoon. If you need to stay outdoors for a long time, it is recommended to take good sun protection measures. Young and middle-aged people who do not yet have age spots can do a good job of sun protection, which can reduce the probability of age spots appearing after entering old age.
2, pay attention to nutritional balance: vitamin E, vitamin C can be antioxidant, help delay skin aging, eat more vegetables, fruits can reduce the appearance of age spots. It should be noted that protein and fat should also be properly ingested to ensure balanced nutrition, which can promote the synthesis and repair of skin cells.
In general, eating more than 12 foods per day and more than 25 foods per week can ensure nutritional balance. It should be noted that a high-sugar diet should be reduced, because excessive blood sugar will damage the skin and increase the occurrence of age spots.
3. Avoid irritating age spots: If you already have age spots, do not use your hands to touch, scratch, knead, and avoid repeated stimulation of age spots, which can reduce the risk of age spots deteriorating. If it affects the aesthetics, you can go to the hospital to remove it with laser, freezing, cutting and other methods.
4, adhere to exercise: no matter how old you are, you should adhere to the exercise within your reach, which can promote the metabolism and blood circulation of the body, provide more nutrition for skin cells, help maintain the youthful state of the skin, maintain long-term vitality, and reduce the occurrence of age spots.
To sum up, as we age, age spots inevitably appear on the skin. Age spots are benign skin diseases that usually do not worsen, but be wary of age spots that appear symptomatic. Through a healthy lifestyle, the occurrence of age spots can be reduced and delayed. I am a pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.