This image displays many solar lentigines due to the person having many sunburns as a child and teenager.
This image displays many solar lentigines due to the person having many sunburns as a child and teenager.
Solar lentigines are often more pronounced on the left cheek due to sun exposure while driving a car.
Solar lentigines are often more pronounced on the left cheek due to sun exposure while driving a car.
The backs of the hands commonly have solar lentigines.
The backs of the hands commonly have solar lentigines.
The highly sun-exposed back of the forearm shows more numerous solar lentigines than the inner forearm.
The highly sun-exposed back of the forearm shows more numerous solar lentigines than the inner forearm.
The medical term for sun and age freckles, as seen here, is solar lentigines.
The medical term for sun and age freckles, as seen here, is solar lentigines.

Images of Solar Lentigo (5)

This image displays many solar lentigines due to the person having many sunburns as a child and teenager.
Solar lentigines are often more pronounced on the left cheek due to sun exposure while driving a car.
The backs of the hands commonly have solar lentigines.
The highly sun-exposed back of the forearm shows more numerous solar lentigines than the inner forearm.
The medical term for sun and age freckles, as seen here, is solar lentigines.

Solar Lentigo

A solar lentigo (plural, solar lentigines), sometimes called an age spot or liver spot, is a brown macule (small, flat, smooth area of skin) caused by chronic sun or artificial ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. There may be just one lentigo or there may be multiple. This type of lentigo is different from lentigo simplex because it is caused by exposure to UV light. Solar lentigines are benign, but they do indicate excessive sun exposure, a risk factor for the development of skin cancer.



Who's At Risk?

Solar lentigines most commonly occur in older adults, particularly those who sunburn easily, but they can occur in children and young adults.

Signs & Symptoms

Solar lentigines appear as well-defined, light brown to black, flat macules, typically on areas exposed to sunlight. In people who have been treated with a form of UV light therapy called psoralen plus ultraviolet-A radiation (PUVA), solar lentigines may occur in areas of the skin not exposed to sunlight.

Self-Care Guidelines

To prevent solar lentigines, avoid exposure to sunlight during midday (10 AM to 3 PM), wear sun-protective clothing (tightly woven clothes and hats), and apply sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) 30 or higher that blocks UVA and UVB rays.

Treatments

Solar lentigines are noncancerous, so no treatment is needed. However, your medical professional may recommend periodic follow-up evaluation or surgical removal of a lesion that is difficult to distinguish from a malignant lesion, such as melanoma.

If solar lentigines are cosmetically bothersome, your medical professional may:

  • Freeze the area lightly with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy).
  • Recommend laser therapy.
  • Prescribe a bleaching cream (eg, hydroquinone) and/or a retinoid (eg, tretinoin).

Visit Urgency

Solar lentigines do not require medical care, but see a medical professional if you develop a pigmented lesion and you are not sure what it is or if you have an existing solar lentigo that changes in appearance, such as it gets larger or darker.

Trusted Links

References

Bolognia J, Schaffer JV, Cerroni L. Dermatology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018.

James WD, Elston D, Treat JR, Rosenbach MA. Andrew’s Diseases of the Skin. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019.

Kang S, Amagai M, Bruckner AL, et al. Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology. 9th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education; 2019.

Disease Groups: Sun Damage

Last modified on June 17th, 2024 at 4:13 pm

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