| Bone Health | |
“It’s a nuisance to cover.” “It makes my complexion look blotchy.” “It’s impossible to get rid of them.” “It gets worse in the summer.” Lately it’s been a topic of conversation during lunch and dinner conversations with the girls. It out ranks weight gain and gray hair as the leading indicator of aging. What is “it”? Those brown spots on your face, hands and chest. Some call them brown spots, others call them age spots or liver spots…I call them uninvited. Over the years the effects of age, hormones, medication and sun exposure become visible on our skin, the body’s largest organ. The skin is made up of two layers: the outer layer is called the epidermis and the inner layer is called the dermis. The inner layer contains nerve endings, blood vessels, sweat glands and the collagen and elastin that support your skin. The epidermis produces melanin (pigment that is naturally present to varying degrees) and is constantly producing new skin cells to replace the ever-flaking dead skin cells. The skin is our body's protection from the environment, regulates body temperature, stores water and fat, and prevents the entry of bacteria. So our skin is an important organ, but to most of us it is the one organ every can see. We all want beautiful healthy skin. Why do we get these banners of age? 1. Aging. As hormones start to decline and the aging process begins during our forties the collagen layer (dermis) of our skin show signs of thinning. We start noticing fine lines around the eyes, lips, brow and at the corners of our mouth. When the skin gets thinner our complexion starts to show signs of discoloration and brown spots start to appear (epidermis). 2. Hormones. Many women get brown spots during pregnancy, while taking birth control pills or during menopause hormone replacement therapy.Brown spots caused by fluctuating hormones are called Melasma. During hormone changes the brown spots are caused by the interaction of sunlight and estrogen. Melasma brown spots may occur on areas of your face, chest, hands, back that are exposed to the sun. Sun exposure can worsen brown spots. 3. Genetic influences. If your family is prone to brown spots you may also be affected. 4. Medications. A number of medications can cause hyper pigmentation, brown spots. Often when you withdraw from the medication the spots will go away. Medications that can cause discoloration are: antibiotics such as Tetracycline, antidepressants, antiviral agents, antihypertensives, Amiodarone used to treat irregular heartbeats, Phenytoin an anti-seizure medication, sulfa medicines used to treat bacterial infections, chemotherapeutic agents; and oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy cross-over into this category. 5. Sun Exposure. Liver spots, also called solar lentigines, have nothing to do with the liver, and do not indicate you have liver disease. They appear on the hands, face, feet, legs and arms of people who have been exposed to the sun for long periods of time. If you have been exposed to the sun, taking medications and/or going through hormone fluctuations, you have five options to regain and keep your healthy glow. Options to manage and vanish brown spots Prevention Wear sunscreen, SPF 15 or greater, and protective clothing such as a hat when you are in the sun. Prevention is the number one way to avoid brown spots. If you wish to live with those brown spots you may consider using camouflage make-up and cover the spots. Shop for a foundation that offers maximum opaque coverage that is waterproof and smudge proof. You will want to set the foundation with a finishing powder. I wear a foundation with maximum coverage and dab a little moisturizing cream on my makeup sponge during application so it doesn’t feel “caked”. If a full face of makeup isn’t your cup of tea you may consider the following options. |
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