- Brown spots (age spots or liver spots), which are also called seborrhoeic keratoses and lentigos, can develop if a person has been overexposed to the sun. Brown spots can appear anywhere on the body but frequently are found on hands because hands are rarely protected from the sun.
- When overexposure to the sun (or to tanning booths and beds) occurs, the body tries to protect itself and overproduces the pigment in our skin, which is melanin.
- When overcompensation occurs, the outcome is uneven patches of brown that generally pop up on the backs of your hands and on your back. According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the spots can be brown or black in color. The spots can be rounded or distinctly defined flat patches of skin.
- To avoid getting sun spots, wear sunscreen and do not apply perfumes that contain bergamot or musk to areas of the body that are exposed to the sun. When you apply these scents to your skin, the skin becomes very vulnerable to sun exposure, and age spots can occur as a result. If you wear perfume containing musk or bergamot, apply it only to areas covered by clothing, according to WomenFitness.net.
- Parsnips and parsley contain a substance called psoralen, which makes skin supersensitive to the sun. If you have handled these foods, wash your hands diligently before going out into the sun. If you've been sunburned numerous times in your life, the chance of developing age spots on the sites of the burns increases.
