What are old age skin spots, anyway? We have seen them on the hands and faces of the elderly all of our lives. What do we know about them?

We know that the spot is composed of clumps of cells that have been infused with melanin. Melanin is a pigment or color produced by specialized cells deep within the skin's layers. The specialized cells are called melanocytes.

You may know that malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer.

In simple terms, malignant melanoma is cancer of the melanocytes. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 40,000 deaths caused by melanoma every year.

What we refer to as old age skin spots are not symptoms of melanoma, but a lay person might not be able to tell the difference. A spot that suddenly appears should be evaluated by a dermatologist. If it is truly an age spot, a dermatologist will be able to tell right away.

Melanin production is stimulated by several things, but the primary melanin stimulator is the sun. Having an age spot does not necessarily increase your risk of skin cancer, but over-exposure to the sun is a cause of that type of cancer.

Tanning beds specifically have been linked to an increased incidence of melanoma. In 2009, the beds were classified as "carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. According to the combined results of dozens of studies, people who begin using tanning beds prior to the age of 30 are 75% more likely to develop melanoma.

There are creams on the market that were designed specifically to fade age spots. Many of them contain an ingredient called hydroquinone. The use of hydroquinone for this purpose has been banned by the European Union, because there is an association between the ingredient and an increased risk of melanoma.

Hydroquinone works to fade old age skin spots by inhibiting melanin production. No one knows if the cancer risk associated with the product use is due to the hydroquinone or due to the person's exposure to sunlight.

The production of melanin is a protective mechanism. When the skin's cells become infused with melanin, UV radiation is quickly converted into harmless heat. It cannot penetrate into the deeper layers where the melanocytes are located, to cause damage. Melanin is actually the most effective sunscreen.

The keys to reducing your risk of developing old age skin spots and possibly your risk of cancer are to avoid over-exposure to the sun and to use a nourishing cream on a daily basis. If you don't understand the connection between nutrients, skin aging and cancer, you may want to read some of my other articles.

Researchers agree that nutrients are the keys to long-lasting health and youthful looking skin.

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