Brown spots are a common skin concern. Associates in Dermatology has the advanced knowledge, experience, and technologies to understand your skin concerns accurately. With this understanding, our teams in Westlake, Lorain, and Middleburg Heights, Ohio, can effectively improve the appearance of hyperpigmentation and other types of skin discoloration. With our trusted and customized treatments, your skin will look more even, radiant, and youthful.
What are brown spots?
Brown spots are a type of lesion. Lesions refer to any abnormal changes in the skin. These anomalies can arise due to disease, injury, and other types of trauma and damage. Lesions can be a variety of different colors, and may be flat, waxy, raised, and have other features. Brown discoloration alone can take many different forms.
What types of brown discoloration do you treat?
We commonly evaluate and treat “age spots” (solar lentigines), freckles, and melasma—to name a few skin concerns that can manifest as brownish discoloration. These concerns can appear in different colors, depending on characteristics such as skin tone.
What causes brown spots?
Age is a “risk factor” for such discoloration. The cumulative effects of sun exposure and environmental pollutants over time can add up and manifest as mottled skin. The conditions mentioned above occur as the melanin pigment in our skin abnormally clusters in the superficial layers. The pigmented cells in melanin are distributed evenly to protect the skin from normal exposure to harmful UV radiation from the sun’s rays. However, when exposed to too much UV from sunlight and artificial sources (like tanning lamps and beds), the DNA in the skin cells is damaged. This damage triggers the formation of spotty clusters of melanin.
Are dark spots harmless?
Many brown patches and lesions are harmless. However, not all of these skin concerns and changes are benign. Specialists like our team should regularly evaluate your skin. Our dermatologists can rule out more serious causes of your lesions, such as pre-cancers and cancers. For instance, actinic keratosis can mimic the appearance of many benign conditions. Yet, these rough, scaly spots or patches can be precursors to cancer. Without treatment, they may progress to squamous cell carcinomas, a type of skin cancer.
How do you treat brown spots?
The type of treatment depends on the nature and severity of your discoloration. For instance, we may recommend medications and products such as topical hydroquinone or retinoids for facial brown spots. These medical-grade products work when the OTC creams fail to live up to their promises and hype. We can also get good results with in-office treatments, such as chemical peels and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy. For the legs, brown spots respond well to bleaching creams and controlled cooling/freezing with cryotherapy. Our C02 laser system is an appropriate option for brown discoloration and other benign lesions on most parts of the body, too.
Do you combine treatments?
Sometimes, two treatments are better than one. We can support faster results by incorporating different approaches into your treatment plan. However, many factors must be considered, including the potential risk of adverse reactions, how your body responds to other treatments, and your needs.
Why should I choose Associates in Dermatology for my brown spots treatment?
Our experienced providers use the latest technologies to diagnose and understand your concerns. Then they personalize treatment based on what they find as the result of these advanced diagnostics. Rest assured, your treatment and experience are never cookie-cutter. We thoroughly evaluate your needs, medical history, and lifestyle to design an effective, individualized treatment plan. If you are worried about a spot on your skin, call (440) 482-8323 to request your consultation in Westlake,OH, today.
