If you have ever found a strange blemish on your skin, you know how scary and confusing the experience can be. Especially in the case that everyone you consult tells you something different: "these are definitely sun spots!"! "oh yeah, my doctor says they're called age spots", etc.

Because there are many different ways of naming the same thing, it's easy to be confused about age spots, sun spots and liver spots. The question is, what are age spots, sun spots and liver spots, and how can you get rid of them?

Know your sun spots - the first step

Age spots, sun spots or liver spots - also known as senile/solar lentigines or lentigos - are usually brown specks similar to freckles that appear on the areas of the skin most commonly exposed to the sun, such as the face, hands, shoulders and back. Age spots are not always brownish and will range in color, depending on one's skin tone and the level of sun exposure. Liver spots often cause the skin to look older and damaged.

Most sun spots are completely harmless and concerns about them are therefore usually cosmetic. You should know, however, that most people are not able to tell the difference between skin cancer and an age spot. It is extremely important that you see a skin specialist in order to verify that none of your sun spots are cancerous.

Why do age spots develop?

Age spots are principally caused by skin sun damage. Over-pigmentation occurs when the skin's melanocytes - cells located in the epidermis - begin to produce pigments in excess, following too much sun. Melanocytes are the skin cell components responsible for darkening the skin during and after sun bathing.

When your skin becomes over-exposed to the sun, melanocytes can malfunction and produce too much melanin pigment. The excessive amount of melanin leads to age spots and sometimes melasma.

How can age spots be removed?

Sun and age spots can fortunately be removed using simple medical procedures, cosmetic treatments and certain aging skin care products. People interested in skin renovation should investigate the different types of skin renovation programs available. Among the most common age spot remover techniques list: Laser Surgery, Microdermabrasion, Chemical Peels and Bleaching Creams.