What is solar lentigo?

Solar lentigo or sun spot is a flat or slightly raised lesion with a clearly marked edge. Solar lentigines are very common, especially in people over the age of 40 years.

Common forms of lentigo are due to exposure to UV light, such as sun damage including sunburn, use of tanning beds and phototherapy which causes local proliferation of melanocytes and accumulation of melanin within the skin cells (keratinocytes).

There are also some genetic conditions that are associated with multiple widespread lentigines, which are usually present in children, rather than adults.

What do solar lentigines look like?

Solar lentigines may vary in color from yellow, brown to black. They can be round, oval or irregular in shape. Solar lentigines are benign (non-cancerous) skin lesions related to sun exposure, found on areas commonly exposed to the sun such as hands, face and lower legs. Lentigines are usually diagnosed clinically by their typical appearance.

If you have sun spots on your skin and want to get rid of them, LiLyDermis medispa in Calgary can help you. We offer different methods to remove solar lentigines, such as radio-frequency, thermocoagulation, liquid nitrogen, and liquid CO2. These techniques are effective and safe for your skin. Schedule your free consultation today by contacting us at 587-231-9901 or simply book online.

Treatment of solar lentigines:

Solar lentigines are benign and not harmful. However, some people choose to have them removed for cosmetic reasons. The aim of treatment is to reduce the visibility of the lesions rather than eliminate them completely.

The treatments include:

IPL (Intense pulsed light) therapy:
Intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment, as a nonablative phototherapy, is recognized to improve a variety of signs of facial photoaging skin conditions including solar lentigines.

Electro-cauterization:
This technique is used for solar lentigo removal and is based on scraping off the lesions superficially with high frequency alternating current.

Cryotherapy:
Cryotherapy with N2O-COOL (liquid nitrogen) that is the most often used or CO2-COOL (liquid CO2) freezes the lesion, causing it to fall off within days.