Brown spots on hands

[JavaC]

In the last week or so i've been developing dark brown spots on my hands, in the area between my thumbs and wrists. I've seen lighter version of these in the past, but not considerable enough to worry, but these are darker (there's also one dot above the watch line (toward the elbow). I recently went on a sailing trip which lasted a few hours (in direct sunlight for the majority of the time) but I did use copious amounts of suntan lotion, and kept reapplying. Somehow though I have a feeling it has something to do with that sun exposure. Any ideas?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination,but it sounds like lentigenes.

Sun spots or lentigines, are harmless, flat, brown discolorations of the skin which usually occur on the back of the hands, neck and face of people older than 40 years of age. They are caused by the skin being exposed to the sun over many years and are a sigh of sun damage. The only way to prevent age spots is to use liberal amounts of sunscreen before the age of forty, avoid the sun, and wear protective clothing. The newest treatment for age spots is an alpha hydroxy acid gel or beta hydroxy acid gel.  Retin-A cream, alpha hydroxyacid peels, and liquid nitrogen therapy are other options.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Warm regards.