Lentigenes - Causes And Symptoms

Definition

Lentigines are also known as sun spots or age spots or liver spots. These 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. These spots more than anything else, give away a person's age. Lentigines are caused by the skin being exposed to the sun over many years. If you do not believe that these brown, ugly marks on the back of your hands and face are caused by sunlight, look at the skin on your inner thigh. Sun spots are harmless and do not need to be treated unless they are changing or getting bigger than the surrounding sun spots. Skin pigment is made by cells called melanocytes. They don't produce much melanin during the winter months, but produce more when exposed to the sun. The melanin is diffused into the surrounding skin cells, called keratinocytes. The color of ephilides is due to localized accumulation of melanin in keratinocytes.

Causes

1. The cause of the lentigines is unknown. However there may be some condition where it can be thought to cause.
2. Multiple lentigines syndrome is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Affected people have large numbers of lentigines.
3. The causes may include mild pulmonic stenosis and changes in the ECG. Affected people may have abnormal cryptorchidism, hypogonadism, or delayed puberty.
4. Lentigines are more abundant in fair-skinned whites than in dark-skinned individuals, in whom the disease is distinctly uncommon because they have a greater amount of natural pigment that provides some degree of photoprotection.

Symptoms

1. In this disease there may occur lesions on the skin that appear tan to brown.
2. If you have a family history of lentigines then you may also be caused by this disease.
3. These generally occur on the neck and trunk.
4.  Mild mental retardation is observed in about 30% of those affected with the disease.
5. Cafe-au-lait spots may also be the symptoms.
6. There may also wet set eyes.
7. There may be prominent ears.
8. There may be situation of late puberty or no puberty at all.

Treatment

1. Cryosurgery is a simple treatment for isolated lentigines. In this surgery the lentigenes are made to freeze by use of liquid nitrogen. These are removed by itself after this treatment.
2. Lasers are effective in the treatment of various lentigines. The recent development of short-pulsed, pigment-specific lasers to selectively destroy the pigment within the lentigo has led to significant clinical improvement.
3. The cosmetic appearance of your skin may be improved by the use of skin bleaching lotions or creams.
4. Mequinol is a very potent depigmenting agent and the combination with tretinoin is quite effective and well-tolerated.
5. Re-occurrence or appearance of new spots may be minimized by using a high-protection sunscreen lotion.