Different Types of Skin Spots and What They Mean

Every day that goes by, there are several instances in which we are prompted to take a second look at ourselves in the mirror. Our age, time in the sun, or just time in general has a peculiar way of showing up on our bodies, in tiny dots, also commonly known as skin spots.

While such spots manifesting on our face and body are often unforeseen and scary, they may not all be a cause for concern. This article will illustrate the different types of facial spots, their respective causes and treatment options to help you make the best decisions for your skin health.

Keynote

• Skin spots are a common occurrence, which refers to small patches of irregular pigment or texture on the surface of one’s skin.
• Several types of spots on the face occur due to genetic predisposition to the condition, hormonal fluctuations, aging, inflammation, skin trauma and more.
• In terms of skin spots treatment one can seek out skincare actives and professional treatments like laser therapy, microneedling and combination chemical peels.
• While treating skin spots, always make sure to supplement your daily skincare with a broad-spectrum sunscreen to safeguard your skin from further damage.

The irregularities in pigment, small, raised lesions and textural blemishes that manifest on the stratum corneum are often collectively referred to as skin spots. These appear different from the surrounding skin in terms of color and texture and are commonly seen as flat patches, raised bumps, and even depressions.

Just as sunburns, the types of skin spots have different shapes and sizes, showing up particularly on your face and in areas exposed to the sun.

Normally, your skin gets its natural color from the process of melanogenesis, which releases pigment equally throughout your body. During the function, the melanocytes synthesize pigment through an enzymatic reaction, consequently releasing melanin (pigment) into the stratum corneum.

However, if you spend quite some time out in the sun or have a bad acne breakout, the inflammation can dysregulate the system. This can occur due to a range of stimuli, resulting in uneven pigment distribution in clusters, like spots, on the face and body.

One of the most exposed areas of your body to outward stressors of the environment is your face, making it a common site for skin spots. Before trying to identify the stimuli causing it, one must first be able to understand which types of skin spots they are dealing with. These are some of the different types of face spots commonly encountered by individuals:

Acne Scars

If you have ever experienced different acne, you are well familiar with the aftereffects, i.e., scarring, once the active breakouts have cleared. Due to their inflammatory nature, these lesions and their severity disrupt the wound healing process in the skin. This altered immune response gradually leads to structural changes like redness, swelling and atrophic scar formations.

Some common types of scars formed from active breakouts are icepick scars (deep puncture wounds), boxcar scars (broad with edges) and rolling scars (wide and uneven).

Freckles

Yes, freckles, the charming faint dots of tan, red and dark brown often appearing on the bridge of your nose, are also categorized under skin spots.

Medically termed as ephelids, freckles manifest due to a genetic predisposition with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. This means if your parents or either one of your parents has freckles, then there is a high chance of you inheriting them too.

Interestingly, freckles often correlate with your hair color and skin type, particularly in young individuals. These appear along your nose, cheeks, shoulders, and arms, which are usually exposed to the sun.

Sunspots

Sunspots, on the other hand, are a skin condition brought about by damage to the skin due to cumulative sun exposure. You may have often seen them appearing as flat brown spots on your hands, face, and chest or on areas that get the most sun exposure over the years.

In some cases, sunspots can even develop into concerning skin disorders like actinic keratosis. This makes the damaged patches rough and scaly in nature, demanding immediate medical attention, as the premalignant cutaneous lesions have the potential to turn into cancer if left untreated.

Moles

Moles are a type of skin growth that is quite common in adults, so much so that an individual can have upwards of 10 moles at a time. They are typically less than 5 mm wide and are often round or oval in shape, ranging in colors from pink, tan to brown. Most moles are benign and are caused by clusters of melanin deposits on the skin exposed to the sun. That said, it is essential to look out for changes in shape, colour and size to rule out skin disorders, such as cancerous melanoma.

Age Spots

Age spots turn up on skin in clusters of flat, tan to dark brown patches, accurate to its name it can be found on individuals from the ages of 40 and beyond.

Age spots are a result of years of cumulative UV damage, wherein the suprabasal cells cannot catch up with the increased proliferation of epidermal cells. This imbalance results in uneven transport of melanin deposits onto the skin, resulting in clusters like age spots.

These can also be potentially associated with photo damage and an increased risk of skin cancer. Hence, it requires medical attention in extreme cases.

Melasma

Melasma is a type of hyperpigmentation that presents as symmetrical patches along the forehead, cheeks, nose, lips and chin. The condition is more prevalent in women and individuals with a darker skin type due to hormonal influences such as estrogen and progesterone.

Hence, the skin condition often appears during pregnancy, hormonal replacement therapy, and consumption of oral birth control pills (OCPs).

While understanding the nature of skin spots on the face, you may have noticed some common themes across them. Let’s explore these familiar causes behind the skin concerns in detail:

1. Sun exposure

   UV radiation is one of the most primary aggravators responsible for stimulating pigmentation in the skin. This makes it a direct contributor to developing skin spots, such as freckles, solar lengities and age spots. The UVA and UVB rays work differently on the skin. While the former usually penetrates your skin deep into the dermis, causing premature aging, the latter impacts the surface of your skin, causing immediate effects like sunburn.

2. Hormonal changes

   Hormonal fluctuations can have a deep impact not only on your body but also on your skin. Hormones, such as androgens, progesterone and estrogen, can influence the melanocyte activity, altering the pigment distribution patterns in the body. Melasma is a common example of how hormonal imbalance can result in pigmentation issues in an individual.

3. Inflammation

   Trauma or inflammation in your body or on the surface of your skin can trigger the production of pigment as an anti-inflammatory wound-healing response. This leads to changes in the color of the skin, often called as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This concern is pretty common after active breakouts, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, or other skin injuries.

4. Genetics

   Just as conditions like diabetes and autoimmune disorders have a genetic influence, skin disorders like freckles, eczema, etc., do too. This predisposition in gene markers controls how your body performs melanogenesis and reacts to skin sensitivity. For instance, the variants of the MC1R gene can help determine if an individual will develop freckles or not.

5. Aging

   As we grow older, certain processes in our body can slow down, bringing about irregularities in skin functions, leading to pigmentation in this case. The development of age spots due to the cumulative effects of sun exposure is a fine example of how long-term damage can impair melanocyte activity in your skin, triggering the skin condition.

Skin spot treatment can be followed through many effective ways, ranging from at-home remedies to professional medical procedures, depending on the diagnosis of the spots on your face.

Home Remedies and Skincare Products

1. Apply aloe vera masks or green tea extract to soothe the inflamed skin and reduce redness and irritation.
2. Incorporate weekly or biweekly exfoliants like retinoids or AHAs like glycolic acid and lactic acid after running a patch test.
3. Try to incorporate actives in your skincare to boost collagen and reduce pigmentation. These may include either vitamin C, azelaic acid, niacinamide or licorice root extracts. This may include serums like Anti-Pigment Dual Serum or high-performance moisturizers such as Anti-Pigment Day Care SPF 30 based on the needs of your skin.
4. The most integral step in your skin spots treatment at home should be sun protection with a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 50, like the Sun Face Pigment Control Fluid SPF50+. With a structured daily skincare routine and sunscreen application, you can protect your skin from photodamage and reduce potential irritation.

Medical and Cosmetic Procedures

For moderate to severe hyperpigmentation in terms of skin spots, an individual will be advised a set of professional procedures or a combination of them. These will range from laser therapy (intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment), chemical peels, microneedling as well as advanced therapies such as radiofrequency or plasma energy beams.

Being a common concern, skin spots not only affect your skin but also brings along self-image issues and worry. However, it is essential to know that most spots occurring on the face are benign and can be treated with a well-structured skincare regime and routine professional procedures. If you notice irregular patches, growing moles or an anomaly on your skin, it is recommended to consult a dermat to rule out high-risk disorders.

1. What are the different types of skin spots on the face?

   At any point in your life, depending on a string of factors, you can experience either freckles, sun spots, age spots, moles, melasma and acne scars on your face.

2. What causes spots on face and how to treat them?

   The causes of types of spots on the face can be multi-factorial, ranging from excessive sun exposure, genetics, hormonal fluctuations, aging and inflammation. Some of the best skin spots treatments include a holistic skincare routine with sunscreen and topical solutions like vitamin C or AHAs as well as other medical procedures.

3. Which skincare treatments help reduce skin spots?

   Professional treatments for different types of face spots comprise of laser therapy (IPL treatment), microneedling, combination chemical peels (glycolic acid or lactic acid) or radiofrequency and plasma energy beams.

• Nih.gov - Molecular and histological characterization of age spots
• Nih.gov - Patient understanding of moles and skin cancer, and factors influencing presentation in primary care
• Nih.gov - Actinic Keratosis
• Nih.gov - Melasma: an Up-to-Date Comprehensive Review
• Nih.gov - Abnormal pigmentation within cutaneous scars
• Nih.gov - Acne Scarring—Pathogenesis, Evaluation, and Treatment Options
• Nih.gov - Ephelides are more related to pigmentary constitutional host factors than solar lentigines
• Nih.gov - The melanocortin-1-receptor gene is the major freckle gene
• Nih.gov - Skin Pigmentation Types, Causes and Treatment—A Review
• Health.harvard.edu - What's the difference between age spots and sun spots?
• Health.harvard.edu - 5 skin spots you shouldn't worry about
• Sciencedirect - Current insights and future perspectives of ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure