Brown Spot Removal

What are brown spots?

Sun spots or age spots

Brown or dark spots on the skin often appear with age, especially on the face and hands. The spots we are referring to here also go by the name of sun spots, age spots, liver spots or solar lentigines. As the names imply, these spots are caused by sun exposure and age. Importantly, these spots should not be confused with freckles, melasma, moles or melanomas. What defines sun spots and age spots from other brown spots, is that they appear in areas where there has been a lot of sun exposure. For those susceptible to developing sun/age spots, they will usually start to appear from the age of thirty and often initially on the face. Luckily, these spot are easily removed with cryotherapy, and usually only one session is needed.

Before coming in for treatment it is important to establish whether the brown spots you’re wishing to have removed are sun or age spots. The distinguishing features of these spots are:

  • Flat to the surface of the skin. When you run a finger over a sun/age spot it will feel like normal skin.

  • Located in an area where there has been a lot of sun exposure, such as the face, arms, shoulders or the hands.

  • Clearly defined smooth edges and usually of a size between a pin head and 10 mm in diameter.

Seborrheic Warts

These brown spots are also referred to as senile warts, seborrheic keratosis or basal cell papillomas. Seborrheic warts are extremely common in people over the age of 40. By the age of 70, 75% of people will have at least one of these brown spots. The cause of seborrheic warts is not known, although it seems to be hereditary. They are caused by a harmless build up of skin cells. They have a very distinct “pasted on” appearance and will start out flat and slowly grow into raised, rough to the touch, lesions. The distinguishing features of seborrheic warts are:

  • Rough surface, which can resemble the feel of a wart.

  • Range in colour from light brown to very dark brown.

  • Usually found on the trunk, but can also grow on the head and neck.

  • Can range in size from a few mm to several cm in diameter.

Do I need a medical diagnosis to have my brown spots removed?

It is not necessary to get a doctor’s diagnosis before coming in for treatment on sun and agespots. However, for seborrheic warts, you will be asked to confirm that it has been diagnosed as such by your GP before commencing treatment.

It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish sun or age spots and early stage seborrheic keratosis from melanoma (a type of skin cancer). If there’s any doubt, you may be asked to get an opinion from your GP before starting treatment. This is especially likely if your brown spot has some of the features of melanoma, such as those listed below:

  • Asymmetrical edges, if you draw a line through the centre of the brown spot the two sides will, in most cases look very different.

  • Irregular borders and edges

  • Inconsistent colour which could range from browns, red, black, pink and in some cases blue.

  • Recent changes in shape, size or colour or other characteristics.

If at all in doubt, get a doctors opinion.

How do you remove brown spots?

Sun spots or age spots

The Cryopen is extremely effective at removing sun spots. After an initial consultation the treatment can be carried out on the same day. The brown spot is evenly sprayed with N 2O, at a temperature of –89°C for 5 sec. This will freeze and destroy the very top layer of skin, which is where the sun/age spot resides. A very thin scab will form over the next few days after treatment. This will look like the brown spot has turned a darker colour. Once this thin scab falls off, fresh new skin will be revealed without any trace of the brown spot. One treatment is usually all that is needed.

 
 

Seborrheic Warts

The Cryopen is extremely effective at removing seborrheic warts. After an initial consultation the treatment can be carried out on the same day. The brown spot is evenly sprayed with N 2O, at a temperature of –89°C for 5-20 sec depending on size and depth. This will freeze and destroy the outer layer of the skin where the brown spot is located. The lesion will fall of after a few weeks, revealing fresh new skin underneath. One treatment is usually all that is needed, however for very large seborrheic warts a second treatment may be needed.

 
 
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Filliform warts versus skin tags

The majority of warts have a very distinct appearance, looking like little rough bumps usually round in shape and less than one centimetre wide.

However, one type of wart which can often be confused with a skin tag is the filiform wart. The filiform wart is caused by a subtype of the HPV virus. More than 70 subtypes of the HPV virus are known, each causing different types of warts on different parts of the body.

What does cryotherapy do to the skin.
What does cryotherapy do to the skin.

The effects of applying low temperature to the skin gradually increases as the temperature drops. Initially proteins and lipids, as well as the metabolism of the cell is altered. As the temperature drops below 0°C, first the water outside the cell begins to crystallise, causing the cell to dehydrate. At temperatures below −20°C, the water inside the cell starts to crystallise, and at −40°C intracellular ice formation is certain.

How does skin heal after cryotherapy
How does skin heal after cryotherapy

At the clinic, the agent used for cryosurgery is N 20, a gas which has been adopted as an alternative to liquid nitrogen. Cryosurgery is a safe, non-invasive treatment for unwanted skin growths and blemishes. Immediately during and after the treatment, you may feel a stinging sensation as the tissue is frozen and thawed. Some may only notice this during the treatment, for other this sensation may linger for a few hours after, especially if multiple lesions were have been treated in the same area. A mild analgesic ointment can be applied to relieve the sensation.

The history of the use of cryosurgery in dermatology
The history of the use of cryosurgery in dermatology

Cryosurgery (meaning cold handiwork) is also known as cryotherapy, cryocautery, cryocongelation and cryogenic surgery. Cold therapy has a long history of being used for analgesia and anti-inflammatory purposes, going as far back as the ancient Egyptians. However, during the past 200 years, it has evolved into a more specific use, namely the destruction of tissue in dermatology.

6 types of hyper-pigmentation: causes and treatments
6 types of hyper-pigmentation: causes and treatments

Most individuals will experience some form of hyper-pigmentation during their lifetime. Hyper-pigmentation can take many forms, but is essentially an overproduction and an abnormal distribution of pigmentation, usually melanin. Thankfully, there are many treatments on offer to reduce and/or remove such pigmentation. At my clinic in East Finchley, I have successfully been removing sun, age and liver spots with cryotherapy for several years.

This articles has been put together to give you an overview of the different types of hyper-pigmentation and to help you make the right choice when it comes to treating this condition.

Common skin lesions and growths found in older skin
Common skin lesions and growths found in older skin

As skin becomes older changes start to happen. It is common for skin to become dryer, thinner and less elastic as well as for fine lines to appear. Sun exposure can speed up changes in the skin, and be a factor in age related changes such as unwanted dark patches, roughness and wrinkles. Here we take a look at the most common skin growths found on ageing skin.

Diagram side view of the common wart
Side view diagrams of the most common forms of warts.

Warts can take on many different appearances. Here is a slideshow of the most common types of warts as seen from a side view.

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How to distinguish flat warts from other similar looking skin conditions.

Recently a client visited the clinic with what appeared to be flat warts around the nose, forehead and eyes. However, after a closer inspection an alternative diagnosis was considered. Flat warts can easily be mistaken for other skin conditions. Here we take a look at flat warts and compare them to two other very common skin condition.

Cherry angiomas (red spots): Causes and treatment.
Cherry angiomas (red spots): Causes and treatment.

Cherry angiomas, as they are most commonly known, are little clusters of broken blood vessels on the skin. They usually look like domes ranging in colour from bright red to purple, however they can also appear flat. They usually start out very small, the size of a pinprick, and grow larger over time. Cherry angiomas are harmless, however some people go on to have them removed due to cosmetic reasons.
Research has yet to find a concrete cause of cherry angiomas. However, it has been linked to pregnancy, climate, toxins and ageing. Some people are also thought to have a genetic predisposition for developing these type of lesions. 

Removing warts: The pros and cons of the different methods available.
Removing warts: The pros and cons of the different methods available.

Warts are caused by a common virus. With over 100 different types of the wart virus, most people will have at least one type of wart in their lifetime. Warts will usually disappear on their own in time. However, just one wart can quickly multiply, as warts are spread by direct contact. In particular, picking at or accidentally cutting the wart with a razor, can make the wart spread very fast.

Thankfully there are many options available to remove warts. The list below will cover home remedies as well as professional wart removal treatments available.