The sky is falling! Can young people also develop age spots?

We are all familiar with age spots. Many people think that age spots are exclusive to the elderly, but this is not true. Young people can also get age spots.

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In recent years, the age group of people who get age spots has a clear trend of getting younger, and many young people have also developed age spots on their faces or hands. The face is the most common place for age spots to occur, but there are also "traces" of age spots on the neck, trunk, limbs and back of the hands, and rarely on the palms and soles of the feet. Although age spots are related to aging and skin aging, sun exposure, minor trauma, etc. can also cause them.

1. Can young people also get age spots?

Senile plaques, also known as seborrheic keratosis, are a common benign epidermal tumor. They are named because they are more common in the elderly and the incidence rate increases with age, but they can also be seen in middle-aged people and even young people.

Senile plaques can be found anywhere except the oral mucosa, palms and soles, and are most common on the face, back of the hands, chest and back. The lesions appear as single or multiple flat, light yellow-brown or dark brown patches with clear borders and slow growth. They may increase over time, but their diameter generally does not exceed 3 cm. The surface of the patches is rough and often covered with greasy scales.

Studies have shown that genetic factors may cause premature aging of young people's skin, including the formation of age spots, by affecting the metabolism and repair mechanisms of skin cells. Therefore, if there is a history of age spots in the family, the risk of young people developing age spots may increase.

Secondly, long-term ultraviolet radiation is also an important factor causing age spots in young people. Ultraviolet rays can damage the DNA in skin cells, promote the aging and abnormal proliferation of skin cells, and thus increase the risk of age spots. If young people work or are active outdoors for a long time and do not take effective sun protection measures, they are more susceptible to damage from ultraviolet rays, which in turn increases the risk of age spots.

In addition, bad living habits and environmental pollution may also have a negative impact on young people's skin health, leading to the formation of age spots. These include staying up late for a long time and irregular work and rest, which may lead to endocrine disorders, slow body metabolism, and excessive accumulation of toxins in the body, thereby increasing the risk of age spots. In addition, modern young people are under great pressure at work and in life, and are in a tense environment for a long time, which may affect the metabolic function and lead to the appearance of age spots. Long-term exposure to computers may damage the skin and accelerate the formation of age spots.

At the same time, harmful substances in environmental pollution may also damage skin cells and promote the formation of age spots.

So, although age spots are usually seen in the elderly, they can also occur in young people. Therefore, young people should also pay attention to protecting their skin health, avoid prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays, maintain good living habits and a balanced diet to reduce the risk of age spots.

2. Do I need to pay attention to age spots?

While age spots are generally benign, there are certain situations where specific age spots may require special attention.

① Rapidly enlarging or rupturing age spots:

If age spots grow rapidly in size within a short period of time, or show symptoms such as ulceration and bleeding, this may indicate that the age spots have become malignant and require prompt medical diagnosis and treatment.

② Age spots appearing in special areas:

If age spots appear on exposed parts such as the back of the hands and forearms and are frequently rubbed or irritated, they may increase the risk of malignant transformation. Therefore, age spots in these parts require special attention.

③Age spots with other symptoms:

If age spots are accompanied by symptoms such as itching, pain, redness and swelling, or affect the patient's daily life and appearance, timely medical treatment is also required.

2. To prevent age spots, you can start with these!

Of course, for age spots, we can start prevention from the following aspects:

- In terms of diet, you should eat more foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E and antioxidants. For example, kiwi, apple, tomato, cucumber, sesame, etc. These foods can enhance the antioxidant capacity of skin cells, delay skin aging, and reduce the formation of age spots. In addition, you can also eat eggplant in moderation, which contains vitamin P and other ingredients that help prevent and treat age spots. At the same time, you should have a balanced diet, avoid excessive intake of greasy and fried foods, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, and supplement trace elements such as zinc and manganese.

- In terms of lifestyle, first of all, you should get enough sleep to avoid skin aging caused by lack of sleep. Secondly, you should avoid long-term exposure to sunlight and take sun protection measures when going out, such as applying sunscreen and wearing a sun hat. It is also important to keep the skin moisturized, which helps maintain the skin barrier function and prevent external irritants from entering the skin. In addition, you should also participate in appropriate physical activities, such as doing 10 minutes of fitness exercises after getting up in the morning, which helps promote metabolism and cell renewal.

In short, preventing age spots requires many aspects, including diet, living habits, sun protection measures, etc. Only by taking these factors into consideration can we effectively delay skin aging and reduce the formation of age spots.

Author: Red Fish

Reviewer: Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital