White patches turn red, bleed after sun

My forearms show small light and dark areas (look like freckles) that I've been told are just a normal result of too much sun. Lately I've noticed that some of the lighter/whitish areas (about 3-7mm) appear to be getting burned when I'm in the sun too long, and sometimes bleed/scab. At first I thought they were just scratches or cuts, but now appears to correlate to sun exposure and those white patches. Sometimes the whiteish patch is dead skin, and if I scrape that away, there is a red area that almost looks like a blood blister. They appear to heal up fine, but slowly. Is it just an area missing some pigmentation and hence more prone to sunburn, or something more serious. I'm being more careful about sunscreen but still get a lot of sun. It happens mostly on my left (driving, arm on the door, lots of sun) arm.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

The key phrase in your note is: "and if I scrape that away."  Why scarpe it away?  Bleeding and scabbing of the kind you describe can only come from picking and scratching, which you no boubt do because you're worried you might have some form of skin cancer.  But your description of light and dark spots doesn't sound like skin cancer at all  (too many spots at one time, too rapid onset, etc. etc.)

My advice is to keep the skin moist, use sun protection (or sleeves), and show a doctor who can set you straight and your mind at ease.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[FredZ]

..."too much sun...." irreversibly damages your skin. Take every chance you get to stay OUT of the sun. Just my $0.02