Liver spots on the hands look ugly, and hence, cause immense emotional distress to the person who has them. There are a few preventive measures and treatment methods to curb this challenge.
Due to the term, people often confuse liver spots with some liver related problem. In reality, they are nothing but flat, painless, brown colored legions which appear on the skin, mostly when people cross forty, due to over exposure to the ultra violet rays of the sun. They have nothing to do with the liver whatsoever. Since the most prominent cause is overexposure to sunlight, these legions mostly occur in skin areas which come in direct contact with the sunlight, such as the face, shoulders, forehead, forearms, and hands.
Liver Spots Removal
Cryotherapy: A technique known as cryotherapy is an effective procedure, in which liquid nitrogen is applied to the affected skin to freeze it and later destroy the extra skin pigmentation. This method is quite effective, though side effects such as scarring might occur occasionally.
Bleaching Creams: Application of bleaching creams along the retinoids help in lightening and fading the spots to a great extent. Creams which contain ingredients such as glycolic acid are equally effective.
Laser Treatment: Though expensive, it can be used to treat this problem, and is known to be highly effective. In this procedure, laser rays are used on the affected skin area to destroy the cells in the skin which produce extra melanin. It takes a number of sessions to fully get rid of the spots through this method.
Alpha Hydroxy Peels: Also known as glycolic peels, this procedure burns the old dead cells on the skin’s surface through the application of acids, so that new skin cells can take their place.
Home Remedies: Although home remedies can take a lot of time, yet, they are the safest of all treatments. One of the most effective remedies is massaging the affected skin with natural essential oils such as olive, Castor, or rosemary oil, everyday for a few months, till the desired results are achieved. Applying a mixture prepared with a teaspoon each of lemon juice, vinegar, and apple cider vinegar on the skin, leaving it on for fifteen minutes and then washing with lukewarm water, is equally effective. This should be done once or twice a week for best results. Another effective remedy is to simply apply papaya pulp on the hands everyday, leave on for fifteen minutes, and then wash it off.
Preventive Measures
There are a number of preventive measures which a person should adopt in order to avoid their appearance on the skin.
- Apply sunscreens with SPF 30 or more when stepping out in the sun.
- Protect your hands from the harmful effects of the sunlight by wearing cotton gloves when going out during the day.
- Avoid going out in the sun during the peak hours, i.e., between eleven a.m. to three p.m.
Although liver spots are harmless in most of the cases, yet, if they acquire some irregular shape, it is best that a doctor is contacted, to rule out complications such as skin cancer.