Liver spots are flat, brown or black spots that can appear on areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun. They have nothing to do with the liver or liver function.

Causes

Liver spots are changes in skin color that occur in older skin. The coloring may be due to aging, exposure to the sun or other sources of ultraviolet light, or causes that are not known.

Liver spots are very common after age 40. They occur most often on areas that have had the greatest sun exposure, such as the:

• Backs of the hands
• Face
• Forearms
• Forehead
• Shoulders

Symptoms

Liver spots appear as a patch or area of skin color change that is:

Patch

A patch is a flat area of color change in the skin that is 1 cm or more wide.

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• Flat
• Light brown to black
• Painless

Exams and Tests

Your health care provider usually diagnoses the condition based on how your skin looks, especially if you are over 40 and have had a lot of sun exposure. You may need a skin biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. The biopsy also helps rule out a skin cancer called melanoma if you have a liver spot that looks irregular or is unusual in other ways.

Melanoma

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It is also the rarest. It is the leading cause of death from skin disease. Other common types o...

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Treatment

Most of the time, no treatment is needed. Talk to your provider about using bleaching lotions or creams. Most bleaching products use hydroquinone. This medicine is thought to be safe in the form used to lighten darkened skin areas. However, hydroquinone can cause blisters or skin reactions in sensitive people.

Talk to your provider about other treatment options, including:

• Freezing (cryotherapy)

  Cryotherapy

  Cryotherapy is a method of superfreezing tissue in order to destroy it. This article discusses cryotherapy of the skin.

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• Laser treatment
• Intense pulsed light

Outlook (Prognosis)

Liver spots are not dangerous to your health. They are permanent skin changes that affect how your skin looks.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Contact your provider if:

• You have liver spots and want them removed
• You develop any new symptoms, especially changes in the appearance of a liver spot

Prevention

Protect your skin from the sun by taking the following steps:

Protect your skin from the sun

Many skin changes, such as skin cancer, wrinkles, and age spots are caused by exposure to the sun. This is because the damage caused by the sun is p...

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• Cover your skin with clothing such as hats, long-sleeved shirts, long skirts, or pants.
• Try to avoid the sun at midday, when sunlight is strongest.
• Use sunglasses to protect your eyes.
• Use high-quality broad-spectrum sunscreens that have an SPF rating of at least 30. Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before you go out in the sun. Reapply it often. Also use sunscreen on cloudy days and in the winter.

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